Expect the Unexpected
by The Flame and Hawk's Eye
Summary: After discovering they are 'expecting,' Roy and Riza work together through the ups and downs of the most difficult, and yet most rewarding, nine months of their lives. A series of Royai one-shots.
1. Restless

**Important A/N:** _Hello all! Here is my next installment of Royai one-shots, complete with actual fluff. I just wanted to add a **warning** before you proceed any further regarding the historical accuracy of this chapter. Please note that the modern pregnancy test was not developed until the 1970s, approximately 40-50 years before the events of this story. That being said, I have taken creative liberties and included it in this story because: 1) It allows more ease in story-telling and 2) Since Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in a fictional world, I've created an AU scenario in which they are more advanced in medicine/science than our world at that time. That being said, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!_

 **Time frame** : 5 weeks

* * *

She seemed kind of… off today. Normally Riza was on the ball, making sure to keep all of the men in line throughout the day. Today, however, she seemed to take a backseat to everything that was happening in the office.

Glancing up from his paperwork, Roy stealthily shot Riza another look, seeing that she was bent over her work and completely oblivious to his stare.

When he realized that she wouldn't catch on to his look, he sighed quietly and looked back down at the set of papers in front of him, already trying to think of excuses he could use to get out of doing them. Just as he pressed the tip of his pen down on the dotted line to sign the page on top, he heard the sound of the feet of her chair scraping against the floor.

Looking up again, he saw that she had pushed it back and had gotten to her feet. After adjusting her uniform and dusting it off, she quietly excused herself and headed toward the door. Watching as she exited the office, he noted that she disappeared to the right. Again.

Roy did the math in his head. This was the third time she's excused herself for the washroom this morning… And it wasn't even close to lunch yet.

Just as he was contemplating getting up to check on her, Jean Havoc's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Man, is it just me or is the Captain a faucet today," he said through the toothpick wedged between his front teeth as he leaned back in his chair. "That's like the third or fourth time she left this morning," he also said in observation.

Still looking toward the door, Roy muttered, "Yeah, I noticed."

Pushing his chair back, he got to his feet as Havoc added, "Well, you know the reason for that right?" When Roy looked over at him, he managed to catch the First Lieutenant's suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Roy rolled his eyes and said, "That's highly unlikely, Lieutenant," already about halfway across the room.

"Ehh, I don't think so," the blond Lieutenant teased. "It wouldn't surprise me in the least. I mean, you guys got hitched, what, six or so months ago. Rebecca and I would-"

"You can stop right there, Havoc. I don't want to hear about what you and your girlfriend would do if you were married," Roy interjected dryly as he reached the doorframe. "It's something I'd rather not have burned into my mind."

Havoc undoubtedly said something witty in reply, but Roy was already out the door before he could hear it properly. Turning to the right, he made his way in the direction he saw her take off in.

Not at all expecting to see him, Riza jumped in surprise after she turned the corner nearest the washroom. Regaining her composure quickly, she said, "You startled me, sir." Eyeing him suspiciously, she added, "Is there something I can help you with?"

With a small smile, Roy took a step forward and said, "You can drop the formalities, Riza. It's just the two of us here."

She rolled her eyes playfully and corrected herself, "You startled me, _Roy_. Is there something I can help you with?"

Feeling his face soften, he said, "You've been leaving an awful lot today." Shrugging his shoulders up and down, he added, "You can't blame me for being worried."

Relaxing slightly, she shrugged and said, "Everything's fine."

Roy narrowed his eyes and murmured, "No it's not," as he took another step forward, the distance between them no less than a foot.

Without acting surprised she looked up at him, her eyes flickering back and forth as they scanned his face. Then she sighed and replied, "It's nothing. I'm just late, is all."

"Late," he asked as he raised a brow. "How late?"

"About a week," she admitted.

"A week," Roy echoed back in reply. "That doesn't sound too far off though. Isn't that fairly common in women?"

Riza shrugged her shoulders up and down, "I suppose in some," she began. "But it's not common for me."

He had to admit it, but she was right. One thing she prided herself on was the fact that she was so… consistent. There had been only one other time when she had been late, and that was only because, they later discovered, her changing diet and exercise habits. Still, that didn't stop them from checking to be sure.

Taking a step forward, Roy clasped his hands down on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. Smiling softly, he said, "I'm sure everything's alright. But if you're concerned, we can stop by the pharmacy on the way home tonight."

Crossing her arms and grasping her elbows, she turned her gaze downward and away from him and muttered, "We can't have this. Not now… We both have a lot on our plates right now. This isn't something we can afford to have happen yet. Eventually, someday, but not now."

"Hey," Roy quietly protested as he guided her forward and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his chin atop her head, he continued, "But if it _is_ something that happens, we'll manage it."

She nodded into his shoulder, making a move to say something when a set of footsteps caught their attention. Breaking away from his embrace, she straightened her uniform just as another soldier rounded the corner. Putting on an act of professionalism once more, she nodded and said, "That sounds good, sir. I'll be sure to make note of it in your planner."

As he passed, Roy could feel the soldier's eyes on them, or rather, her. Most likely perplexed by her professional demeanor. It was certainly no secret that the two soldiers were wed, though it still seemed to surprise many that they had still managed to keep their work relationship completely separate from their personal relationship. Just another thing they prided themselves on; remaining an example for other soldiers in the dawn on this new democratic era Fuhrer Grumman helped to create.

"That sounds wonderful, Captain," Roy replied coolly as the soldier vanished around another corner. "Thank you."

She nodded thoughtfully and even smiled slightly. "Very well then, sir. Consider it a date."

* * *

When Roy finally sat down at their kitchen table, he rubbed his hands together anxiously. He had been so calm, so collected up until this point. Even though inside, they had both been screaming for the remainder of the day. Even when they went together to buy the test. Even when the cashier shot them a knowing glance. And even as she idly read the instructions on the back of the box in the car. But now… Now there was a possibility that this was real, that this was happening. He couldn't help if he felt uneasy…

They had discussed it well before they were wed half a year ago. It was something they were considering for the future, though they weren't actively trying, always making sure they were careful whenever intimacy beckoned them, which it hadn't lately because of the surplus of work. However, both understood that and accepted it, agreeing they would 'catch up' when work was caught up as well.

Fidgeting slightly, he leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his black hair, sighing quietly to himself. She had only disappeared inside the washroom a few minutes ago, but already it seemed like an eternity ago.

No longer able to bear it, he jumped to his feet and quietly walked over to the washroom door."Riza?" He waited for a moment, but heard nothing. Frowning, he looked back down at his watch and furrowed his brows. She had been in there for over five minutes now. The instructions on the box said it would take half that time. "Riza, I'm coming in, okay," he called, tapping lightly on the door before reaching down with his other to turn the doorknob.

When he opened it, he saw her standing above the sink, her hands tightly gripping the basin as she leaned heavily against it. She didn't flinch or move when he walked in, her mind too focused on the little plastic contraption balanced on the edge of the sink.

"Riza," he asked again quietly, feeling his pulse quicken and his stomach turn when she failed to react to his entrance.

Finally she murmured something back in reply, but he didn't catch it what she had said. Taking a few steps forward, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked over her them. "What was that," he asked softly.

Raising her head so that he could see her reflection properly, he saw that her expression was a mixture of disbelief, shock, and maybe even happiness. When her eyes wandered up to look at his reflection, the faintest of smiles threatened to show when she said again, more clearly, "It's… It's positive."

* * *

 **A/N** _ **:**_ _I apologize for the bland first chapter, but it'll get better from here on out. I promise!_ _So this is that series of one-shots I mentioned in_ Like Family _. It will be in chronological order, detailing the next 8 months in Riza and Roy's relationship. And just like in_ Like Family _, I will update this as I get ideas, so prompts are always welcomed :) And I seriously don't know where this baby fever came from… I never considered it for my stories until recently!_

 _Also, if anyone knows of any pictures I could use for cover art, please let me know!_

 _Hope you enjoyed! See you next time when I update either_ Gravity _or_ Flame and Steel _._


	2. Morning Sickness

**Time frame:** 7 weeks

* * *

Roy woke with a start when the warmth and pressure against his back suddenly left him, allowing a front of cold air to rush to and bathe it. By the time he sat up, the door to their connected washroom was slammed shut, the evidence that it was in use being the light that trickled through the crack in the bottom.

Throwing back the covers, Roy leapt out of bed and jogged over to the door. After rapping on it twice, he announced his presence as he opened it, much to the displeasure of the room's occupant.

Upon entering the room, Roy immediately rushed forward and dropped down onto his knees beside Riza, wrapping one arm around her as he gathered her hair and pulled it away from her face with the other.

She was sitting on the floor beside the bowl, one arm hanging carelessly atop it with her forehead resting on her arm. Panting, she mumbled, "I'm-I'm sorry I woke-" but she never finished the sentence, another bout of sickness cutting her off.

After making sure her hair was away from her face and secured in his hand, Roy leaned closer to her as he rubbed small circles in her shoulder with his thumb. "Don't apologize for waking me up," he soothed, "It's what I'm here for."

She nodded feverishly to his reply, though he was unsure if it was because she agreed or because she just wanted him to shut up. When the third bout immediately followed, he left her side for one moment to get onto his knees in front of the sink. Filling the clean glass he had left there before, he moved back over to her side just as she finished dry heaving.

"I… I think I'm done," she murmured as her head dipped forward, her forehead resting against the edge of the bowl. This alone was a testament to show just how sick she was feeling. Even when she was plagued with the stomach flu, Riza was still very particular about touching it.

Roy had been prepared, however. After the smaller, less volatile episode she experienced the previous evening, he had taken the liberty to thoroughly clean it after she fell asleep last night in anticipation of this happening again.

Nudging her shoulder with the hand that contained the glass, Roy offered it to her when she turned around. Shooting him a look of gratitude, she graciously accepted the glass of water and held it to her lips. After tipping it back and swishing the contents around, she spat it out into the bowl and let loose a haggard sigh.

Scooting backwards, he guided her into his arms as he leaned and rested his back against the wall. Without a complaint or protest, she sat back and in his lap, resting her head against his chest.

"I've never felt so ill before," she mumbled into his shirt as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I wish there was something I could do," Roy murmured into her hair, pressing his lips to her head moments after.

"You being here is enough," she said as she moved her hand down his arm. Finding his hand, she intertwined her fingers through it and gave it a gentle squeeze. Wearily opening her eyes, she then asked, "What time is it?"

"Mmm… Maybe around four, four-thirty," he guessed as he drew his lips away from her hair.

His response elicited a soft, defeated groan from her. "We're going to be exhausted when we have to get up in a few hours."

"'We,'" Roy asked. "I think what you meant to say was 'Roy' will be exhausted, which he might be, but he'll live. But you, on the other hand," he continued, "Are staying home to rest."

She moved her head side to side, rolling it against his shoulder as she muttered in reply, "No, I can't. There's too much… Too much to-" Her sentence was once disrupted as she broke away from his embrace, lunging toward the bowl again as spell of sickness overtook her.

Diligently moving to her side, he once again took her hair in his hands and held it until she quieted again. "This is all your fault, you know," she muttered, causing him to tense. But when he saw that, despite the sickness she was feeling, she had the smallest of smiles on her face, he relaxed.

"I don't know if I'd completely agree," he replied playfully, "It takes two to tango."

She hummed in reply as she reached out, feeling for the glass. Seeing this, he found it and passed it to her. After taking it from him and rinsing and repeating, she set it down and sat back on her heels. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and sighed.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Roy began to gently, rhythmically massage them until she was ready and willing to move again. When she took another deep breath and exhaled, she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled softly. "Ready to head back to bed," he asked, knowing that this was a signal saying that she was done.

She nodded and took both his hands when he offered them, helping her slowly rise to her feet. When she straightened her legs, Roy noticed that her knees were trembling slightly. Without another word, he put one hand on her back and bent slightly, looking up at her. When she began to quietly protest he shook his head in dismissal, adamantly remaining where he was.

Either too tired or too unwilling to argue, she sighed and relented.

Grinning at her silent acceptance, Roy moved his arm behind her knees and, in one fluid motion, swept her off of her feet and into his arms. Working with him, she draped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer, resting her head against his shoulder once more.

Taking care to avoid knocking her feet against the door frame, Roy slowly glided out of the room and over to their bed. Setting her down on the bed, he guided her back and onto her pillow. When she was settled, he grasped the blanket she had thrown off of herself and pulled it over her. Moving up to her head, he brushed her fringe away from her forehead and pressed his lips against it.

After pulling away, he smiled down at her, seeing that her eyes were already closed. Quietly, cautiously, he edged away from the bed and moved around it to his side. Easing into bed, he pulled the covers up and over himself, he propped himself up on his elbow and took the alarm clock in his other hand. Turning it off, he set it back on the counter. If he was late tomorrow, then so be it.

Rolling onto his side, he watched as his wife's chest rose and fell with every silent, even breath she took, admiring the fact that she still looked stunning despite the night's circumstances. But just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw her hand move under the covers, subconsciously coming to rest on her stomach.

Smiling to himself, Roy slipped his hand under the covers too, placing his hand on top of hers. And just as he began to slip back into a sleep that promised to be infinitely more peaceful, he managed to catch a glimpse of the corners of her lips turning upward in a gentle smile.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Ahh… Fluff fluff fluff! Hope you guys enjoyed this next installment! I'm not sure what the next chapter will contain yet, but it won't have any sicky-ness in it (hopefully, depending on the time frame!). If anyone wants to see anything in particular (mood swings, the men finding out early, etc.), let me know!_

 _Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I'll try to get to them all within the next day or so!_


	3. Mother Hawk

**Time frame:** 8 weeks

 **A/N:** _Remember that Vato Falman is up in Briggs… so no fun for him._

* * *

Sweating nervously, Havoc breezed out of the room and closed the office door behind him with a soft click. Leaning against it, he raised a hand and wiped his brow, sighing heavily.

"Hey, Lieutenant Havoc."

Hearing the sudden voice, Jean Havoc practically jumped out of his skin. Snapping his head up and toward the source of the noise, he saw Lieutenant Breda and Sergeant Fuery standing at his side eyeing him curiously.

Cocking a brow, Breda asked, "Geez, you look rough. What happened? Did Hawkeye chew you out again?"

Havoc was quick to shake his head. "No… Worse."

"Worse," Sergeant Fuery asked, his tone reflecting his worry. "What… What could possibly be worse?"

"Hawkeye's _crying_ ," Havoc whispered back to them, completely flabbergasted, his eyes wide with shock.

It took a moment for the other two to register it, but when they did they began to chuckle, and then laugh.

"Quiet, she'll hear you," Havoc hissed as he shot a worried glance toward the door.

Both immediately stopped and shot him a look of concern. "You mean you're serious," Breda asked as he raised his brows.

Havoc nodded furiously in reply. "Yeah, look." Cautiously gripping the door's handle, he slowly inched it open so that it created a reasonably sized gap for them to peer through. Leaning in as close as they could so that they could make out the two officers inside, the three men strained to listen.

* * *

"Riza, it's okay, really," Roy said as he tried his best to console her.

Shaking her head and wrapping her arms around her stomach, she looked down at the floor and murmured, "No, it's not."

"It's just carpeting, Riza. The stain will eventually come out," he said softly as he tried to reason with her, reaching forward in an attempt to take her hands in his and pull her away from the situation.

She responded by angling her body away from him, her eyes still focused on the massive spot on the floor caused by the coffee that had slipped from her hands minutes before.

"We could always replace it," Roy suggested again, hoping that he could diffuse the situation to the best of his abilities.

Instead, she finally looked up at him, her eyes wide and brimming, the disbelief on her face as clear as day. With an exacerbated huff, she said, "We can't just replace it, Roy. Do you know how much new carpet costs? With all the cuts our division is facing we can't afford to!"

Shit. He was not prepared to deal with this at work. At home he could handle it… to an extent.

Just the other day she snapped at him about something or other. Honestly, he couldn't even remember what it had been about, not that it mattered to him anyways. All he knew was that she did a complete one-eighty, going from furious to tearful in exactly 0.02 seconds.

He had only seen Riza cry three other times in her life. First, on the night that he had… 'removed' parts of her tattoo. The second was when she thought he had perished in the fight against Lust. And the third: when she teared up after he had proposed to her.

And because he had only witnessed tears from her on extremely rare occasions, Roy silently admitted that he _still_ did not know what to do. Especially since her mood could instantly sour… His eyes wandered down to the gun at her hip, mutedly reminding him that it was fully loaded.

Now that worried tears threatened to fall for a fifth time and an emotional detonation seemed imminent, Roy made one last attempt to get through to her. Taking a step forward, he extended his arms out and said, "It's alright, Riza. Everything will be okay."

She blinked a few times in an attempt to rid herself of the wetness in her eyes. Then, however, it was as if she were struck by a sudden realization. Raising one hand to her mouth, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, only to open them moments later and murmur, "Oh my god. It's happening again."

* * *

"Oh no, trust me on this one," Havoc argued. "Sick last week, hormonally raging this week. Nothing else points to this else except her being pregnant."

"Maybe it's because… you know… it's that time of the month," Fuery innocently offered.

Dumbfounded by his suggestion, Havoc and Breda both shot him a look, their mouths hanging open and their eyes widened in disbelief. Being the first to pick his jaw up off of the floor, Havoc reached up and hung his arm around Fuery's shoulder and said, "You poor, naïve fool. Let me ask you something. Has Hawkeye _ever_ acted like this before?"

Fuery shook his head back and forth slowly in reply.

"Exactly," Havoc responded matter-of-factly. "So I'm putting one thousand cenz on her being pregnant. And now," he said as he turned back toward the door to look through the crack, "All we have to do is wait for the official announcement."

* * *

"Riza," Roy began again as he took a step toward her.

"Oh my god." Her hand left her mouth and rose up to drag her fingers through her hair. "I'm crying over _carpeting_." When she had finished raking her fingers through her hair, she closed her hand into a fist and tapped it against her forehead. "Idiot," she admonished herself, "Pull yourself together."

"Stop that," Roy said when he noticed her guard had fallen, moving forward and closing the distance between them. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into his embrace and gently pushed her head against his shoulder. "You are not an idiot, Riza. You remember what Dr. Knox said, right?" When she nodded into his shoulder, he continued, "Your hormones are out of whack right now. It's completely normal and extremely common."

"I know," she admitted into his jacket, her voice muffled by his coat sleeve. "Still, I'm surprised you haven't left me yet."

Roy chuckled and shook his head. "Leave you? Despite the fact that I sometimes don't know what I'm doing, I can guarantee you that I would never leave you, especially over something like this." Tightening his hold on her, he said, "This is something that is new to _both_ of us, so we'll continue to work through it together, alright?"

She nodded in reply, and then muttered, "I should get cleaned up. The last thing we need is for the rest of the men to see me like this."

For a moment Roy considered telling her that they wouldn't care; that they'd understand. But the fact that they decided to wait until the first trimester was over, and that she probably did not need fuel to start an argument caused him to keep the thought to himself. "Alright," he replied as she slowly stepped out of his arms. "Let's get you-"

He was cut off by the sound of the door's hinges groaning as the office's massive door flew open. Both of them turned toward the noise, only to find Roy's other three subordinates lying sprawled out on the office floor, their faces painted with horror.

* * *

Havoc looked up at the pair that was staring back at them; one pair of confused obsidian eyes and one pair of brimming, then baffled, then furious brown eyes. He gulped as the owner of said brown eyes subconsciously reached for the gun at her hip.

In a fit of desire of self-preservation, the blond-haired Lieutenant leapt to his feet and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, through a crowd of lower-ranking officers and out the front doors of Central Command.

Because if there was one lesson he felt he should have learned in life, it would be to never mess with a mother hawk.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you all so much for the suggestions and prompts! I will definitely be compiling them! If you think of any more, don't hesitate to let me know, because once I get past a certain point (such as 9 weeks, etc.) I will not be going back!_

 _Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I am getting to them tonight and tomorrow :) You guys are great!_


	4. Pickles and Ice Cream

**Time frame** : 12 weeks (dedicated to **Alja** for having the idea!)

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Roy yawned and rolled over onto his side. Without opening his eyes, he blindly reached out in the hopes that he could snag his wife and draw her into a hug. But when his hands did not immediately find her, he opened his eyes and furrowed his brow with concern. Just as his hands had confirmed, she was not sleeping on her side of the bed. In fact, she wasn't anywhere to be seen, her sheets having been pulled up to her pillow.

His thoughts immediately turning to the bathroom, he sat up and gazed in that direction, though he found that the light wasn't turned on as he had expected it would be. Pulling the covers off of himself, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and planted them on the floor, straining to listen as he slowly and wearily got out of bed.

Shuffling over to the bedroom door, he opened it and peered out into the hallway, seeing that the kitchen light was on. Smiling to himself, he closed the bedroom door with a soft 'click' and made his way toward it.

Once there, he leaned against the doorframe and allowed himself to take in the sight, feeling a smile spread across his face the longer he watched.

Standing in the center of the kitchen was Riza, one arm folded across her stomach while the other one was raised, holding a spoon up in her hand. Appearing to not notice his presence, she absently tapped the back of the spoon against her lips methodically, deep in thought. Sitting at her feet was Black Hayate, who was eyeing the spoon eagerly.

After he had given her a few more moments to contemplate whatever it was she was thinking about, Roy cleared his throat, causing her to jump slightly and turn toward him. Seeing that it was just her husband, she relaxed and held the spoon away from her lips, then shot him a concerned look. "What are you doing up? It's two in the morning."

"I could ask you the same thing," Roy said is he nodded toward the spoon and raised a brow quizzically. "Are you hungry?" He was hoping that she would respond with a resounding 'yes.' Since her morning sickness had started a few weeks ago, there were few foods she could actually stomach.

Looking down at the utensil, she shook her head dismissively and said, "I just had a late-night craving, is all, but it's passed since we didn't have the ingredients anyways." After shooting him a light smile, she made her way over to the kitchen sink and set the spoon down into its basin. "You actually caught me in the middle of deciding to head back to bed."

"Oh, I see," Roy replied as she made her way back over to him. "And what exactly was it that you were craving?"

Wrapping her arms around him and resting her head sleepily against his shoulder, she said, "The funniest thing, actually. I was craving pickles _and_ ice cream."

Chuckling as he accepted her embrace, he asked, "Together?" When she nodded in response, he said, "That _is_ an odd combination."

She hummed a soft reply and then said, "But like I said, it's mostly passed." Pulling away slightly, she looked up at him and said, "Let's head to bed, though. We both promised to stop in to the office tomorrow to catch up on some paperwork."

"Damn, I was hoping you'd have forgotten," Roy replied jokingly.

Laughing lightly as she pulled away and brushed past him, Riza said, "I might have other things on my mind right now, but I'll never forget that." After taking a few steps and realizing that he wasn't following her, she turned around and shot him a curious look. "Are you coming back to bed?"

"In just a minute," Roy replied as he nodded back toward the kitchen, namely toward Black Hayate, who was still sitting in the middle of the room. "I think Black Hayate needs to go outside. Once I do that I'll head back to bed."

"Alright," she said as she tried to suppress a yawn. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Nodding and smiling, Roy said, "Yeah. I'll see you in a few."

* * *

Sighing contently, Riza slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Realizing that a fair amount of light was flooding the room, she deduced that it was morning already. She had been so exhausted that she didn't even remember Roy making it back to bed last night. Hell, she probably fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Rolling onto her back, her heart jumped and she gasped in surprise to realize that her husband was not sleeping next to her. Rather, he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, still in his pajamas, with two bowls in his hands. Chuckling, he said, "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning to you too," she replied groggily as she looked up at the two bowls confusedly.

Seeing this, Roy held one out to her as she pushed herself upright and leaned back against the bed's headboard. After taking it from him and murmuring a soft 'thank you,' she looked down into the bowl to find a generous amount of vanilla ice cream… with a pickle sticking out of it. Looking back up at him, she began, "Where did you get this?"

Grinning widely, he replied, "After I took Hayate out, I realized that I just couldn't sleep. So I figured I'd put my wakefulness to good use and track down the ingredients for this, since these cravings sometimes don't go away once and for all."

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, Riza realized that it was only seven-thirty in the morning. The time general stores opened in Central was around eight or eight-thirty, meaning that… "You went out and bought these at three in the morning?"

Roy shrugged his shoulders up and down, and said, "I had to check a few places since most stores are were closed at that hour, but I eventually found the ice cream in the back of Moore's Market's icebox. The old man working the counter knew exactly what was going on when I came back with ice cream and pickles."

Looking from him back down to the bowl in her hands, then back up at him, Riza said, "I have to admit that I'm… speechless, Roy. I never expected you to-"

Waving a hand dismissively, his smile widened as he said, "Of course you wouldn't expect me to, Riza. I did it because I love you and I _wanted_ to. Plus," he added as he took the spoon from his bowl and raised it to his lips, "I wanted to try it out for myself along with you."

Watching as he wiggled his brows as an invitation for her to follow suit, she smiled and rested the bowl on her lap before picking up a spoonful of ice cream and raising it up as well. After both of them took a bite of the ice cream, they simultaneously took the pickle from their bowls and followed up the ice cream. Chewing the concoction thoughtfully, Riza watched amusedly as Roy's face twisted with distaste.

After grinding it down to a pulp and forcing himself to swallowing it, he shot her weak smile in an attempt to cover up his distaste and said, "It's really something, isn't it?"

"It is," she admitted with a small laugh. "It really hits the spot."

Hearing this, his smile broadened again. "I'm glad to hear that."

Taking the bowl off of her lap and setting it to the side, she placed a hand on his knee and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek. Pausing before she completely pulled away, she murmured, "Thank you, really. I appreciate every single thing you've done up to this point, Roy."

Tilting his head slightly as she pulled away, Roy responded by saying, "I'd do anything for you, Riza. But now first," he said as he lifted the spoon from his bowl and held it up to her lips, "Let's finish this off before it all melts."

With a smile and nod, she grabbed the bowl she had placed to her side and brought it back to her lap, raising her spoon up to his lips this time, not knowing that this was the start of a new and unique tradition that would be continued in the coming months.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I just wanted to pause briefly and say that it was made apparent to me that I did at all explain my historical inaccuracy in the first chapter of this fic, so I posted a 'just so you know' in the author's note of that chapter. It just basically notes that I took a few liberties with the story/universe since it is a fictitious world in regards to pregnancy tests, since they technically weren't invented until the 70s (if we're going by the assumption that this story takes place during the end of the WWI era). Just noting it because I wanted them to be aware of it very early on, and the only way of doing so was the clichéd way of a pregnancy test :P_

 _Secondly, thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I really appreciate it! And again, don't hesitate to send me any prompts you think of, since I've already gotten quite a few amazing ones from others! Again, thank you and see you next chapter!_


	5. Surprise?

**Time frame:** 13 weeks

* * *

"We're so happy you two could come by," Roy said as he pulled out his aunt's chair from the dining room table, to which she accepted the gesture by sitting down.

"Of course, Roy-boy," his aunt said as she scooted the chair in, "I wouldn't miss this dinner for the world. After all, I haven't seen you two in a while."

"That's mostly my fault," Fuhrer Grumman said with an apologetic smile. "It's just been so busy lately that I need all the help I can get around Central Headquarters."

With a dismissive wave of her hand and a chuckle, Chris Mustang said, "Better to keep him busy, though, right? We don't want our Roy-boy sleeping on the job."

"Oh, I make sure he doesn't do that," Riza said as she walked into the room holding a bowl of salad. After placing it on the table in front of Grumman, she set her hands on his shoulders and leaned around to see him. "Like Roy said, we're both so happy you two could join us." Addressing him, she added, "I know that your schedule has been tight."

"Nonsense," the old man replied with a grin as he reached across his body and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I _always_ have time for my granddaughter."

"Thank you, sir," she replied automatically, which elicited a chuckle from the Fuhrer.

"No 'sirs' at the table tonight, Riza," he corrected her. "I know how you love your formalities, but let's not bring them home with us."

"You're right," Riza said with a small smile. "It's hard to break that habit sometimes," she said as she looked up at Roy, who had run into the kitchen to grab the turkey they prepared, "Right, 'General.'"

Setting the bird on the table, Roy laughed. "It's true. Sometimes she'll call me 'General' by accident when she's giving orders for household chores."

"Oh, that doesn't surprise me in the least," the Fuhrer said as he raised his glass of wine to his lips. "And I'll bet it happens in the bedroom too."

Roy saw Riza's eyes widen and her face redden to the same hue as the cranberry sauce on the table. Opening his mouth to stutter something out, he was interrupted by Chris's roaring laugh. Turning toward her, he shot her a pleading look, feeling his own cheeks beginning to redden.

"We're all adults here, son, but we're just messing with you," his aunt responded to his look with a wink.

"Let me just go and put this away," Riza said after she composed herself and as she untied her apron and pulled it over her head, eliciting an eyebrow raise from Chris. After disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing moments later, Roy pulled out her chair for her and invited her to sit so that they could begin their meal.

Just as she settled back in to it, Chris smiled mischievously and asked, "So when are you due, sweetie?"

A beat later, Roy heard Grumman begin sputtering and choking. Leaving Riza's side he raced over to the man and delivered two firm rasps to his back, causing him to cough up the mouthful of wine he had swallowed. With an exacerbated 'huff,' he looked back over toward his aunt and asked, "How did you…"

Folding her arms across her chest, she nodded toward an equally shocked Riza and said, "Well, I found it a bit suspicious when you poured a glass of wine for everyone, except for your wife. Also," she continued, "I noticed earlier that you seemed a bit thinner than usual, possibly the morning sickness. Am I right, hon?" When Riza replied with a weak nod, she said, "But when you pulled off your apron, my suspicions were confirmed." Holding her hand up and spacing her pointer finger and thumb centimeters from each other, she added, "You have the smallest bump on you right now, just enough to barely show."

Swallowing thickly, Grumman looked over at Riza and raised his brows in utter surprise. "You're pregnant, Riza? When were you going to tell us?"

"Actually," Roy cut in as he looked over at his aunt, "We were going to tell you tonight."

"I thought you were going to," she replied as she intertwined her fingers and leaned forward, bracing her chin against her hands as she rested her elbows on the table. "You two seemed so nervous about _something_ that I had to break the ice."

"We were going to wait until dessert, actually," Roy grumbled disheartedly.

"Were you going to tell me you had to get a bun out of the oven," she asked with a grin.

Roy opened his mouth to say something, and then abruptly shut it. How did she _know_ these things?!

Turning toward Riza, his aunt then said apologetically, "I'm sorry to ruin the surprise, dear."

With a light laugh, Riza said, "It's fine, really," as Roy walked around the table and took a seat next to her. He reached up onto the table and took her hand in his. When she looked over at him and saw his beam, she said, "It actually makes this dinner a lot easier. Now we don't have to hide anything anymore."

"This," Grumman said, causing the two of them to turn toward him, "This is so wonderful." Tears welling up in his eyes, he reached across the table, which Riza responded to by pulling her hand away from Roy's to set in his. Grasping her hands gently, he looked at her fully, marveling at her. "I'm so incredibly happy to hear this, sweetheart, because I know how you two have talked about starting a family before, so seeing it happening before my very eyes is simply incredible." Chuckling lightly, he pulled one of his hands away to rub the corner of his eye, "Just know that I am proud of you, and so glad to see you two so happy together."

"Thank you, Grandfather," Riza murmured as she smiled softly, "We're happy to have been able to share this with the two of you first. After all, you have both done so much for us. We couldn't ask for better family."

"Of course, sweetheart," Chris said with a sincere smile, "And we'll continue to be here to support you two." Looking toward Roy and playfully raising a brow, she said, "And if you ever need a hand with your 'first child,' you just give me a ring, okay, dear?"

With a short laugh, Riza said, "Okay. I'll let you know if he ever gets into any trouble."

"Great," the older woman said as she leaned back in her chair and placed her napkin on her lap. "Now, how about we get this party started?"

"Alright, alright," Roy said with feigned annoyance at his aunt's comment as he got to his feet and pulled the turkey toward him, grabbing the knife he had set on its tray. "So who wants light meat, and who wants dark?"

"So," Chris said as she turned toward Grumman, "What do you think it'll be," as she raised a brow and nodded toward Riza.

"Ah, this old betting game, eh? We haven't done this in a while now have we," the Fuhrer said as he leaned forward, a look of determination spreading across his face. "Well, my bet's on it being a little boy."

"You don't say," Chris said as she surveyed him. When she had supposedly determined that his bet was set, she smiled and said, "In that case, I'll put my chips on a baby girl. It looks like she'll carry high."*

Furrowing his brows, Roy was about to say something when Riza placed a hand on his and shook her head. After shooting her an apologetic look, he turned back toward the two future grandparents and watched as they began discussing expanding their betting pool.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I've always headcanoned that Chris and Grumman knew each other from before, and that they were old betting partners. *shrug* They just seem like the type. Also, Chris is too damn smart for her own good. She knows what's up._

 _And the '*' is just to note an old wives tale which claims to help you determine if a woman is carrying a boy or girl. According to it, a woman that is carrying low will have a boy._

 _Thank you for all the favorites, follows, reviews, AND suggestions (I've noted all of them and have made a prompt list for all of them!)!_ _ **Speedfanatic05**_ _, I loved your suggestion for shopping and will definitely include that as well! And to_ _ **Nox**_ _(guest), I have a similar Hayate one planned, but I really like your second suggestion as well. I might try a chapter with a bit of a "lemon-scent" if no one minds :)_


	6. Heat

**A/N** : _**Warning**_ _: Lemon-scent in this chapter._

 _Time frame: 15 weeks (still)_

* * *

Reaching up, Roy wiped his brow of the sweat that had accumulated there using the back of his hand. Despite the fact that the country's heat wave was over, he still couldn't help but feel that the air was still heavy and hot. Maybe he was just thinking too hard about it, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had tried to keep Riza and himself as cool as possible, since his wife had been incredibly uncomfortable these past couple of days.

Glancing up from his papers, Roy looked across the room and toward Riza's desk. Just as his gaze fell on her, he saw her twitch and attempt to look back down at her papers as casually as possible. After a few moments of this, however, she nervously raised her pen to her lips and began chewing the end of it. Frowning, Roy silently wondered if she was still feeling the effects of the heat.

Almost as if she had read his mind, Riza looked up at him again; her cheeks now flushed a bright red hue.

He raised a brow inquisitively and shot her a look of concern, to which she responded by pursing her lips together in a tight frown. As he opened his mouth to address her, she set her pen down and pushed her chair away from her desk, getting to her feet as quickly as possible. Without shooting him a second glance, she hurriedly made her way over to the door and opened it, disappearing through the door frame all in a matter of seconds.

Feeling the men's eyes on him, he waited for a few minute before getting to his feet as well, quickly following after her. When he had closed the office's door behind him, Roy instinctively made his way toward the women's bathroom, wondering if the look he had seen on her face was actually one that suggested another bout of sickness. That thought, too, made him frown, seeing that she had been fine for the past week or so.

Turning the corner, he suddenly came to a halt, having nearly run into the woman in question.

Looking up at him, Riza pursed her lips together, her face twisting into an expression that almost seemed to convey pain.

Alarmed by this, Roy placed his hands on her shoulders and, trying to keep his voice even, asked, "Is everything alright?" As his eye searched her expression, he realized that the tips of her fringe was wet, suggesting that she had washed her face, or at least splashed water on it.

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment as she contemplated his question, then responded, "I'm fine, Roy, really. I just needed to take a quick walk to clear my mind."

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, he relaxed slightly, though he was still unsure of her behavior. Looking her in the eyes, he asked, "What's on your mind then? Is it something I can help with?"

"Honestly," she answered with a sigh, "It's something that could be dealt with later I suppose."

Still unsure of what his wife's cryptic response meant, Roy squeezed her shoulders gently, causing her to fidget. Reacting to this, he gaze turned critical and his voice stern, "Riza, please tell me what's going on. Because if it's the heat I need to know so we can deal with it. We can't have you passing out in the middle of the office. You know what the doctor said; we need to make sure you're as comfortable as possible."

"I know," she muttered as she folded her arms and took a step away from him, focusing her gaze over his shoulder rather than his face. "And he also said to be aware of some of the… changes that my erratic hormone levels can cause."

"Changes," he asked as he raised his brows curiously. She knew he was well aware of the mood swings that could accompany these changes in hormones, as well as the restlessness they caused as well. What else could she possibly mean?

She nodded and fidgeted again as she continued to keep her focus on anything but him. "He said to be aware of a possible change in libido."

Libid…. Oooohhhh.

Seeing her acting this way, face completely flushed and slightly embarrassed, suggested to him that she was falling toward the extreme end of the spectrum.

Keeping her voice low, she muttered, "I think it's all of this heat getting to my head, but having you sitting on the opposite side of the room, glistening with sweat… It's… It's just very tempting."

"Oh, I see," Roy said as he slowly began to unbutton his uniform jacket, moving cautiously enough so that she wouldn't catch him out of the corner of her eye as she continued to avert her gaze. "Just how tempting, if you don't mind me asking?"

With a low huff, she muttered, "Tempting enough to spend the past hour _not_ focusing on my work and instead thinking about how many positions we could achieve on your desk."

Raising his arm and bracing it against the wall, he leaned against it and put on the sexiest expression he could muster.

Realizing what he was doing, she bit her lower lip and shot him a critical look before her eyes wandered down to his sweat-soaked undershirt, no doubt noticing that it clung to his skin in all the right places.

"Well," Roy contended as he raised a brow mischievously and teasingly, "I could always order the men to go on a mini mission or something. That could give us time to be… alone."

He had allowed the time between the last two words of that sentence to lengthen because he had instinctively prepared himself to be shot down and rejected on the spot by her, with her citing their moral compasses. But instead, as he eyed her, he saw that she was legitimately considering it.

Then, she raised her hand as if she were going to reach out and touch him, then drew it back and balled it into a fist. Looking him in the eye, she glared and mumbled, "Don't you dare play this game with me, Roy."

Hearing the threat in her voice, he immediately dropped his arm and straightened up, remembering that hormones could also cause a possible emotional explosion. Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat as a result of the thought, he began to apologize profusely. "I'm sorry, Riza. I was just playing around and-"

"It's fine," she muttered, her gaze still fixed on his face. Her tone, however, told him an entirely different story. Then, she took a step around him and began to walk away from him and back toward their office, but not without her hand brushing against his—Now it was his turn to bite his lower lip and blush.

When he spun around to track her with his eyes, he saw her looking at him over her shoulder, a teasing and sweet smile on her face. "Let's just discuss this later at home in a more… intimate setting." And with that, she turned on her heels and headed in the direction of their office.

Gulping, he quickly began to fumble to redo the buttons of his jacket as he turned and walked briskly in the opposite direction of their office, mentally deciding that he would hide out in the men's room until he 'calmed down,' at the same time also wondering what plans she had in store for him after hours…

* * *

 **A/N** : _**Nox**_ _asked for hormone-driven horny Riza and_ _ **GruviaFit**_ _asked for a one-shot about heat waves (since Europe is experiencing a heat wave and I'm dying), so I combined the two prompts. Hope the lemon-scent was refreshing and decent enough, and I hope you enjoyed!_

 _Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews so far! You guys are seriously wonderful and fantastic! I've slowly but surely been getting to reviews too, though I've been answering the ones with questions/concerns first; but I'm getting there! Again, thank you all so much!_


	7. Overwhelm

**Timeframe:** _16 weeks_

* * *

"What time are we supposed to meet them," Riza heard Roy call from their bedroom's attached bathroom.

"At five o' clock," Riza answered as she slipped her dress pants on. When she pulled them up to her waist, however, she frowned.

"What's wrong," she heard Roy ask as he appeared behind her and hung his arms loosely around her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"They're getting a little tight," she muttered as she pulled the two sides together, just barely hooking one clasp into the other. "I suppose I'll have to go shopping soon." With a heavy sigh, she tucked what she could of her loose-fitting shirt into the them and fluffed it out, concealing the small bump on her belly.

"You could always ask Rebecca to go with you," Roy suggested. "You've been avoiding her a lot lately."

"I haven't really had a choice," Riza said as she shrugged her shoulders, signaling for Roy to remove his arms. "After all, these past couple of weeks have been extremely busy and I only wanted to make the announcement once because I knew she'd go blabbing to Havoc. And you know how good _he_ is at keeping a secret."

"'Blabbing,'" Roy noted as she turned around to face him, raising a brow at the choice of word. "Seems a bit harsh to say, don't you think?"

Riza pursed her lips together into a thin line and then exhaled through her nose. After thinking about it for a few moments, she shook her head and took a step forward, draping her arms around his neck, "You're right, I'm sorry. It was poor word choice on my part. I'm just frustrated is all.

"I'm not one to care about my looks or my figure, but just seeing all of these changes in such a short time… It's a lot to take in."

"Well," Roy replied teasingly, "I've heard that some husbands will gain weight with their wives during pregnancy. I could-"

"Absolutely not," Riza interjected as she pulled away from him and raised her brows. "The very last thing we need is for you to waddle instead of run since I won't be able to chase after you much longer."

"Actually…" Roy began, remembering that he had been meaning to discuss the topic with her.

She shook her head as she turned toward the bed to pick up her jacket. "Let's discuss business matters during business hours," she said as she slipped her jacket on over her shoulders and buttoned it up. "I really don't want to think it right now." Looking down and away from him, she adjusted her jacket and tied the belt loosely, helping to conceal every curve and detail of her body.

He knew this was the reason why she was reluctant telling the men or anyone else for that matter. The sooner the secret got out, the sooner she would be required to take a desk job instead of field work. In doing so, she would no longer act as his personal bodyguard or field agent.

The mutual understanding was there between the two of them; it was unfair and downright wrong to put their unborn child into the crossfire like that. But still, he could see her quiet contemplation every time the phone rang with the possibility of a new mission: endanger someone she has not met but already loved, or risk the life of the man she had loved for half of her life. They knew what the eventual answer would be, and their exclusion from any recent missions helped to further eventuate it, but once it became official the notion would be solidified.

She would no longer protect his back… At least for a while.

He supposed, then, that that was the real reason for her snappishness tonight. Because once they told the team, it would be set in stone and become all the more real for her.

With a small sigh, he nodded and replied, "You're right. Let's leave our business at the office."

* * *

"Hey! We were wondering when you two were going to show up," Havoc exclaimed as the couple took their seats at the group's table. "We were starting to get worried. Thought you two decided to ditch us again."

They supposed that he meant when they decided to not participate in their 'monthly ritual' of getting drinks at a local pub down the street from Central Command. While they oftentimes went out more frequently than that, this was a time that was almost considered 'mandatory.' So the fact that both Roy and Riza were absent due to an 'illness' the last time caused quite a few questions from the men.

They could have told them right then and there, but with that time last month just falling into the end of the first trimester, they really did not want to take any chances in the event that anything happened and the pregnancy become nulled. Now that Riza was beginning to show in normal street clothes, however, the topic could not be avoided any longer.

"Hey stranger," Rebecca said jokingly as she rested her elbows on the table and leaned in toward Riza. "How have you been? I've missed actually seeing you."

"It's great seeing you too, Rebecca," Riza replied with a small smile. "I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to answering your calls. It's just been so busy between being at the office and working around the house."

"Oh, I understand I suppose," Rebecca replied with a wave of her hand. "I mean, it's gotta be difficult juggling work _and_ a husband," she added as her eyes wandered over to Havoc.

The man that had become the central part of their conversation, however, was not listening, his attention instead focused on the waitress as he beckoned her over. When she arrived at the table, he grinned widely and said, "I'll take six shots of whiskey, please-"

"Make that five," Riza quickly interjected as she looked toward the waitress

"Aww, c'mon Hawkeye," Breda whined. "You missed out last time, so you gotta drink double tonight."

Riza shook her head and adamantly stated, "I won't be having anything tonight."

"Mm, why's that," Havoc questioned as he leaned across the table and rested his elbows on it, sitting his chin on his fisted hands. "Is there something you two aren't telling us," he added as his eyes wandered over to Roy knowingly.

Hearing Riza's frustrated sigh, Roy didn't have to look over at her to see her look of disappointment. Were they really that easy to read? "Who told you," he drawled as he glared at Havoc.

"Who told us what," he urged the General as he looked over toward the two uniformed men sitting next to him, wiggling his brows up and down.

"About the baby," Riza grumbled as she reached up and began to rub her temple.

Rebecca begin to say something, but she was quickly drowned out as Havoc leapt up from the table with a victorious shout, knocking the glasses of beer on the table over and spilling them all over Riza and Roy.

Riza jumped up from her chair as she let out a surprised yelp and then stumbled backwards as her chair tumbled over. Roy instinctively reached out and grabbed her wrist with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her back into him as the cheers of "Pay up" quickly turned to panicked cries.

Snapping his head around as he and Riza steadied, he zeroed in on the overreacting Lieutenant and narrowed his eyes.

Seeing this, the already distressed Lieutenant gulped as he straightened up and instinctively threw up a hasty salute. As he opened his mouth to speak, Roy cut him off as he growled, "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

"Sorry General, Captain," Havoc squeaked. "My behavior and reaction was highly inappropriate for the situation. I got overly excited and-"

"You all made bets on this, didn't _you_ ," Roy asked authoritatively as he cut Havoc off, focusing now on the sweating pair of soldiers that also shared the table.

"It-it was just an innocent wager, sir," Fuery blanched as he sunk back further into the bar bench.

He heard Breda begin to say something in reply, but was distracted when Riza slipped out of his arms. Ignoring the men, he watched as Rebecca helped Riza strip her coat off, paper towels and napkins at the ready.

"Is it true," the dark-haired woman asked as she placed Riza's ruined coat off to the side and grabbed the front of Riza's shirt, dabbing it lightly with the rolled up paper.

With a defeated sigh, Riza muttered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but we really wanted to be sure we were out of the red before we told anyone else."

"Oh, Ri," Rebecca murmured softly as she stopped blotting the stain for a moment, "It's okay, I understand.

"Although…" She said as she looked up at her best friend with a small pout, "You weren't going to keep it a secret forever, right?"

 _There_ was her friend's inquisitive nature. For a moment, Roy was concerned that she had either missed the news entirely or she had gotten a concussion courtesy of Havoc when he had been swinging his arms around excitedly.

"Of course not," Riza replied as she shook her head. "There's no way I could keep it a secret from you. After all, we'll need the help."

The dark-haired woman smiled and said, "Thank you, Ri. That really means a lot. So how far along are you then?"

"About four mont-"

"Four months," Rebecca suddenly cried, causing the men, and half of the restaurant, to focus their attentions on her. "Oh my god… We have so much planning to do," she exclaimed as she dropped the paper towels and grabbed Riza's hands between her own. "There's clothes shopping, the baby shower, oh-! Getting a nursery ready; I bet you'll want it gender-neutral, right?-"

Roy watched Riza's eyes widen as the barrage of events and to-dos began to pile higher and higher as the list grew longer. His amusement, however, was short-lived as he too began categorizing and organizing everything Rebecca continued to gush about. And as the dark-haired woman continued with her tirade, Riza slowly cast her astonished glance in Roy's direction and caught his eyes, the two of them sharing a brief, silent exchange.

They knew it was going to be a lot of work… but this was going to be _a lot_ more than they had previously anticipated...

* * *

 **A/N:** _So now everyone knows! Next time I'm thinking a little Riza and Rebecca time is in order, with the two of them going clothes shopping. There was even a slight bit of tension in this chapter as Roy and Riza are suddenly hit with the realization that they are very, very far behind in everything._

 _It's hard to wrap your mind around 16 weeks being 4 months… But it is! So Riza will be half-way through the pregnancy in a few weeks' time. I'm planning on slowing down from here, though, since I have a lot of ideas to work with._

 _Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, follows, and prompts everyone! I have a long list and I'm going to try and include everything you guys asked of me! It truly means a lot :)_


	8. Disobeying Orders

**A/N:** _So a couple of people asked for angst, and I gave them angst. Everything will be fine, though..._

 _ **Side note**_ _: I took a few liberties with the time period again and included a small radio transmitter that Roy and Riza keep hooked up to the battery of their car._

 _ **Time frame:**_ _16 weeks_

* * *

" _Do you understand these conditions and the consequences of your actions?"_

"… _Yes, sir."_

"Man," Havoc mumbled as he leaned in closer to the door, straining to listen, "I'm surprised he's letting her off that easy."

"Easy," Fuery squeaked. "Two weeks suspension and loss of weapons privileges hardly seems easy."

"Nah," Breda objected quietly as he pressed his ear to the door. "I'm with Havoc on this one. Disobeying direct orders from a superior officer in that fashion would definitely count for at least double the suspension time."

Havoc nodded in agreement. "Although… I suppose Fuery could be on to something. I mean, taking away her weapons is like a big kick to the…" He grimaced and stopped himself there, casting his glance toward the floor. "Sorry… Well, you know what I mean…"

"Yeah, we gotcha," Breda muttered in reply as he frowned.

" _Good. You are dismissed."_

"… _Thank you, sir."_

Hearing that the brutal conversation had come to an end, the three men jumped and quickly scurried back to their desks. Havoc just barely managed to slide into his seat at the far end of the room when the door opened.

They watched as Hawkeye quietly slipped out and closed it with a soft _click_ behind her, her eyes glued to the floor in front of her. Without a single word, she breezed over to her desk and promptly began putting her paperwork and essentials into her shoulder bag, her field of vision never once changing to include the three men that watched her with worry.

When she finished, she slung the bag over her shoulder and used one hand to steady the strap, the other arm going to encompass her stomach. Keeping her eyes down, she trudged past their desks, muttering a hushed, "I'll see you in a few weeks," as she went.

By the time the men had finished their equally muted replies, she was already out the door and long gone.

* * *

"Flame Alchemist requested for backup," _the small car radio blared._ "Suspect at large heading toward Division 6, intersections Davis and Henderson."

" _Roger," Roy grumbled into the mouthpiece, glaring up at the street signs they flew past as they headed toward the direction indicated. "Is subject armed?"_

"Unable to tell _,_ " _the soldier quipped over the radio._ "Assume armed."

" _Understood." Setting the mouthpiece down for a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his ignition gloves. As he slipped them on, he cast a sideways glance toward the car's driver and smiled sheepishly. "Just our luck, right? Getting the call_ just _before we made it to the office for the day…"_

 _Without looking up from the road, Riza nodded and sighed heavily. "It is, isn't it? I thought we were done dealing with circumstances such as these."_

 _He shrugged his shoulders up and down. "It is what it is, I suppose." Looking back at the road, he saw that they were on Henderson. "You can stop just up here. I'll run around the block to Davis."_

" _Alright," she replied as she veered off of the road to pull up next to the curve and put the car in park._

" _Now," he muttered as his tone grew serious. "I shouldn't be too long. From the sounds of it, this will be an easy grab." Leaning over the center console, he tilted her chin upward and stole a quick kiss. Pulling away, he added, "Stay here. That's an order."_

 _Riza nodded, the corners of her lips turned slightly upward. "Understood. Just please, be safe."_

 _Dropping his somber expression, Roy grinned and replied, "I am the epitome of safe, my dear. I have yet to have a workplace incident since my promotion."_

 _Riza rolled her eyes at the statement and responded, "I think that's because you have your bodyguard to thank for that. I mean it, Roy; don't underestimate him."_

" _Alright," Roy said before he leaned closer and kissed her again. "I'll be safe as long as you promise to stay here."_

" _I will," she hummed in reply as she sat back. "Now go before he's in another division."_

 _Roy nodded as he opened the door and slid out of the car. Slamming the door closed behind him, he looked over his shoulder once last time before jogging off in the direction the suspect was last seen._

* * *

 _A low rumble forced Riza from her thoughts. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, her head shot up to see a few droplets of rain splatter onto the car's windshield. Her eyes immediately widened in panic. The sky was clear minutes ago and there had been no call for rain today._

 _The moment the roll of thunder stopped, the radio crackled back to life._ "Confirmed: Shots fired. Flame Alchemist driven into a corner at Henderson and Stanton. Suspect now considered armed and dangerous. Teams Six and…-"

 _But Riza did not hear the rest of the radio transmission, already out of the car and heading out into the summer storm._

* * *

 _When she heard a series of shots just before coming upon the intersection, Riza skidded to a stop and pressed her back against the brick building behind her. Clicking off her safety, she took a few deep breaths before inching toward the edge of the building. After taking one final gulp of air, she peered around the corner… and found herself face-to-face with an unknown man._

 _Reacting to his presence, she raised the gun—_

 _In one motion, the unknown assailant grabbed her wrist and pulled it to the side, the resulting shot completely missing its intended target and burying itself into the wall a building across the street. Raising the fist of her other hand to fight back, she swung at him once before her other wrist was caught in his grip. Struggling against him, she kicked at him, making contact with his shin._

 _Seemingly unfazed by her offensive, he jerked her forward and dealt the final blow – a strong, firm knee to the stomach._

 _A beat later, her knees buckled beneath her as she sagged to the ground, all of the wind from her lungs vacating itself after the blow. Feeling the grip on her wrists loosen, she instinctively grasped her stomach as she bowed forward, heaving and retching as she frantically tried to reclaim the air she lost._

 _Feeling a hand on her back, she looked up and managed to catch a glimpse of obsidian eyes and dark hair before the stars in her vision overtook the image and plunged her into darkness._

* * *

Roy had immediately regretted it the moment Riza fled from the office. Now faced with returning home, he found that he hesitated to insert the key and turn the lock, because he knew she would be less than thrilled to see him. Of course, he would not blame her.

At first there had been fear. The moment the perpetrator decided to run once the MPs showed up, he should have listened to his gut instinct and pursued rather than paused for the second that he did. Because if he hadn't, the man would have never landed the blow. Seeing her curled up on the ground gasping and heaving and holding her stomach escalated that fear to terror when he realized directly where her hands lie.

Next, there had been uncertainty as he watched Dr. Knox comb over every area of her body, the doctor displeased with her brash and reckless decision as he examined the deep purple bruise just below her ribs while she sat half-clothed on the edge of Roy's desk.

Then, there was anger. He could see it in her eyes. She was very well aware of how close she, they, had come to losing the child… and possibly her. But the fact remained: despite talking about and agreeing that she would stay behind, she had disobeyed his order to do so. And right then, at that moment, he felt the ire and acted upon it.

Now, there was sadness and guilt. He could have, should have, and used less harsh words and terms, already hating himself for what he had said. Maybe he should have emphasized 'leave' instead of 'suspension.' Maybe he should have lessened the cruel tone in his voice as she hung her head in repentance.

But instead, he had used that anger as a fuel to get his point across. No, he wouldn't blame her if she wasn't there to see him.

Deciding that it was now or never, he turned the key in the lock and opened the door, walking into a front foyer that was dark and empty. With a heavy sigh, he set his briefcase down and began to slip his shoes off when he heard the familiar jingle associated with Hayate's collar. Setting his shoe on the ground, he held his breath and waited, expecting the Shiba Inu to bound up and greet him. When the dog didn't, he assumed he knew where the dog would be.

Taking quiet and gentle steps, he padded over to the living room, noticing that a single lamp was turned on. Placing a hand on the wall, he stepped around the corner and muttered a small "Hey," in greeting to the room's occupant.

Looking up to see him, Riza lifted one of the corners of her lips in a weak attempt at a smile and murmured a quick, "Hey," in reply.

When she grabbed the book she had balanced on one knee and made to push Hayate off of her lap to stand, Roy took a step forward and raised his hands up. "No, please don't get up. Here." He closed the distance between them and then knelt down in front of the couch near her legs. Looking up at her, he murmured, "I'm sorry for how I reacted. It was completely uncalled for."

Exhaling slowly, Riza shook her head and replied, "No, _I'm_ sorry. You were completely justified in what you did. I don't blame you, Roy."

"Still," he responded gloomily, "That did not give me the right to talk to you that way. You felt the way that I did, if not worse. I was just angry and upset because… Because the thought crossed my mind that if he hadn't dropped his weapon and fled, or had aimed higher, I could have lost one or _both_ of you."

He saw her relax slightly, her shoulders dropping as she released the tension she had pent up for so long. "I'm not angry at you, Roy. I admit that I was hurt at first, but when I thought about it, I realized that you reacted the same way I would have reacted to you." Leaning forward, she placed her hands on his shoulders so that she could look in to his eyes. "When I heard what they were broadcasting over the radio, I was afraid that we would lose you. And the thought of it forced me to make a rash decision, despite what you had told me.

"I know now what I did was foolish and that I should have trusted you."

"It's alright," Roy reassured as he reached up to cup her face in his hands. "I understand. I really, really do. Let's just count our blessings and be thankful that we dodged a bullet."

She sighed and closed her eyes, freeing her hands from his shoulders; placing one on his hand and the other on her stomach. When she opened them again, she nodded and hummed in reply.

His face softening, Roy acknowledged her muted agreement before his eyes wandered down to where her second hand was. Seeing this, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and tugged it up over the still growing bump, pulling it up to just below her bra line.

The skin on and around it remained impeccable, with no signs or indication of any trauma. Above it, however, her skin told a completely different story. "They're bruised, right," he asked as he pulled his hands away from her face, sitting back on his heels as he gently brushed his fingers over the black and blue skin just below her sternum. When he looked back up at her, he saw that she winced at his touch, nodding moments later.

Retracting his hand, he shot her an apologetic look, to which she responded by muttering, "Dr. Knox thinks that it's just the bottom two that are bruised. But from what he said," she added with a small smile, "It didn't harm the baby, though I should watch for any changes."

"I'm glad," he replied with a wistful smile, "But only because he said you would be fine in a few weeks' time as well."

"Well," she said as she tried to diffuse his worry, "I'll have a few weeks now to rest and recoup."

"I could extend it," he offered.

She shook her head. "I think two weeks will be plenty of time. It might give me some time to burn off this nervous energy I have."

Turning his attention to the unborn child, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her growing belly before looking up at her again. "Just as long as you use that time to take it easy and heal."

"Is that an order," she murmured.

Reaching up once again to take her face in his hands, he uttered, "I suppose it is then, isn't it?"

She nodded in reply as she pitched forward to meet him halfway. "And since I'm on probation, I promise to follow it."

With a small chuckle as he closed the distance between them, his lips hovering just in front of hers, he muttered, "Then that, I won't argue with," just before she leaned forward and sealed the kiss.

* * *

 **A/N:** _People requested angst, so I gave it to them. Next one will be fluffier, most likely with Rebecca and Riza going clothes shopping together._

 _Again, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! And if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know!_


	9. Twinkle, Twinkle

**Note** : _Based on a post from babyandbump. Momtastic. Com, post: /pregnancy-second-trimester/800585-love-my-hubby-any-other-funny-cute-stories. Html._

 **Time frame** : _17 weeks_

* * *

"Hello," Roy called as he closed the front door to their home. After pausing and waiting for a response for a minute or so and not receiving one, he furrowed his brows. "Riza?"

When he again did not get a response, he set his briefcase down and wandered toward a faint glow that was emitted from a lamp in the living room. When he walked in, he couldn't help but smile. Lying on the couch was his sleeping wife, her blanket kicked off and wrapped around her ankles. Down by her feet and resting just as soundly as she was, was Black Hayate.

Inching forward to get a better look, Roy saw that her shirt had ridden up and exposed her growing belly, one hand delicately placed on top of it. It was incredible to see. Just a few weeks ago, it was hardly noticeable. Even though he saw it every day and watched as it grew, it was still incredible to compare between now and then.

Especially thinking that, he thought as he knelt down next to the couch and her, this growth, _this change_ , was their child. And in less than five months, they would embrace and know and love it, even more than they did now. He honestly didn't see how that could be possible; to love it even more than he already did…

Placing his hand on top of hers, he reached up with his other and brushed her fringe away from her forehead. Recalling one of the first tunes he learned from his aunt when he was younger, Roy began to gently hum it as he pressed his lips against her cheek.

A small smile spread across her face as she began to stir, though the beginnings of her wakefulness did not deter him. When he reached the next verse, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead as her eyes fluttered open.

"What are you doing," she murmured as her smile grew.

"I'm singing to our baby," he replied with a grin as he curled his fingers around the hand on her stomach.

With a light chuckle, she said, "The baby's not in my head, you know."

"Oh, I know," Roy answered before bowing forward and giving her a final peck on the lips. "I'm just singing into your microphone so that Baby can hear."

"My microphone," she asked as she raised a brow.

"Yeah," he replied confidently. "Apparently there have been some studies done where they have concluded that a baby listens to their mother talking, so the baby already knows their mother's voice by the time they're born."

"Is that so," Riza replied with a short laugh as she sat up on her elbows and shook her head. "You could always try speaking directly to Baby, you know."

"Alright," he murmured as a smile played across his lips, "I'll give it a try." Moving down slightly so that he was kneeling beside her stomach, Roy placed his ear against the bump and held his breath for a few seconds. Even though he knew he wouldn't hear anything, it was comforting knowing that the child's heart was beating just inches beneath his ear.

"Hi Baby Mustang," he murmured quietly, already feeling his voice vibrating against her stomach. "I'm just checking in. Making sure you're being good for your mom." His eyes wandering up to Riza's, he caught them and smiled toward her. "Will you tell her that your dad misses having her at work? When she isn't around, nothing gets done at the office." Keeping his eyes on her, he stuck his lip out for added effect.

With a light huff, Riza shook her head and ran her fingers over her belly, "Baby, will you tell your father that just because I'm not there, that doesn't give him an excuse. Thank you." Looking back at him with a teasing smile, she added, "I figured with me not being there, you'd possibly get more done."

"Mm," Roy replied as he raised his head and shrugged his shoulders, "On one hand that is true." Cocking a brow, he continued, "I'm not distracted by your beauty anymore," a comment that earned him an eye roll from her, "But on the other hand, I don't have anyone to tell me to get back to work."

"Oh? You mean Havoc isn't laying down the law," Riza asked sarcastically. "That's so unlike him. Also," she added with a small smirk, "Nice save with the beauty comment."

"Well, it's true," Roy answered with a genuine smile. "I am distracted by your beauty whenever you're in the office."

"Well then," she answered as she pushed herself up onto her elbows and playfully raised a brow, "Maybe I should stay out of the office longer if I'm that distracting."

Roy felt the blood drain from his face at the thought of falling further behind in his work. Laughing nervously, he shook his head and said, "No, I think it's better that you come back at the end of your two weeks."

With a light laugh, Riza rolled her eyes and smiled down at him. "I suppose I can come back at the designated time, then. Especially if it means you'll keep on track."

After letting out a relieved sigh, Roy opened his mouth to speak when a low growl interrupted him. Raising his brows knowingly, he looked back down at Riza's tummy and said, "I think Baby is trying to talk to me again." Pressing his ear to her tummy once more, he nodded his head thoughtfully and muttered, "Okay… Alright. Hm… I see. That makes sense..."

As he raised his head, Riza eyed him curiously and asked, "Well, what did Baby say?"

With a small grin, Roy replied, "Baby is saying that Mom is hungry. Is that true?"

"Baby might be right," Riza answered as she drummed her fingers on her stomach. "I think preparing all of those meals made me a bit hungry."

"Well then," Roy said as he pulled away, rose to his feet and extended a hand, "Shall the three of us go and prepare one of them, then?"

Reaching up and taking his hand, she smiled and said, "Yes… Let's."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Just a short chapter this time. Expect a longer one next fine featuring Rebecca and doubt from one of the two Mustangs about whether or not they will be a good parent, so expect angst... (thank you for the idea_ _ **speedfanatic05**_ _!)…_

 _Also, I will try to add a mystery/humor chapter soon for_ _ **long live marshmallows**_ _and one with Edward finding out and teasing Roy for guest reviewer_ _ **MajorZeldaGeek**_ _!_

 _Thank you for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews! I can't believe this story almost has 100 reviews! It truly means a lot…_


	10. Doubt

**Time frame** : 18 weeks

* * *

"Thank you again for bringing me along," Rebecca chirped as she and Riza walked into the store that had been their destination.

"No need to thank me," Riza replied as she adjusted the strap of her purse. "It was almost as if you invited yourself."

Rebecca laughed and waved her comment off as she began to rummage through the sales rack nearest her. "Well, someone had to get you out of the house," she countered as she pulled a floral patterned dress off of the rack and held it up for Riza to see. When the blonde sniper shook her head and gestured to her neck, her friend nodded in understanding, replacing the item. "How much time do you have left until you're back?"

"Just a few more days," Riza admitted. "And they can't come fast enough; I'm starting to go stir-crazy."

"Which is why I dragged you outside," Rebecca confirmed. "You needed to get out of the house stat."

"You've certainly got that right," Riza murmured as she pulled a collared button up shirt from the clothes in front of them and draped it over her arm.

"So… how are you and the hubby," Rebecca asked as she looked away from the clothes rack to curiously raise a brow toward her friend.

With a small smile, Riza replied, "Good… More than good. He's been nothing but helpful these past few weeks.

With a quiet 'hmph,' Rebecca said, "Well he should be after suspending you like that."

Riza shook her head. "I don't blame him for that at all, Rebecca. After all, I _did_ run out into the field despite my condition."

"Very true," Rebecca replied as she pulled out a green shirt for Riza to see. When the blonde shook her head in dismissal, the brunette reracked it and added, "I'm just giving you a hard time."

"Speaking of a giving a hard time, how are you and Havoc?"

Scoffing, Rebecca muttered, "Oh, I'm still giving him a hard time that's for sure."

"I noticed when we went out to dinner a few weeks ago," Riza pointed out with a light chuckle as she draped a purple shirt over her arm.

"Oh," Rebecca replied dramatically as she turned toward Riza and held out her hand for Riza to see, "He'll keep getting a hard time until he puts a damn ring on this hand."

Shaking her head, Riza said, "I wouldn't expect any less from you, Rebecca."

"Damn straight," her friend responded determinedly as she turned her attention back to the rack of clothes and began to browse it again.

After another light laugh, Riza turned her attention to the sales rack and began to browse along it. When she had collected enough shirts to satisfy her attending friend, she ventured back to the one of the dressing rooms and closed herself inside of it.

After shrugging off her jacket, Riza pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the small stand provided. But just as she was about to reach over and take one of the shirts off the hanger, she paused, eyeing her stomach as if it were the first time she saw it. To be honest, it wasn't something she ever sat and looked at for an extended amount of time. It was something she knew was there; a life-

"I'm just going to look around some more for you while you try those on, okay," Rebecca called from outside the changing room door.

"Oh! Alright," Riza replied, nearly forgetting that Rebecca had even been there. When she heard her friend's footsteps disappear, she resumed looking down at her stomach in the mirror, turning slightly to appreciate its size. It was definitely noticeable now… She really couldn't have gone much longer without shopping for more fitting clothes.

But the longer she stared, the more she felt her heart swell… but not in the happiest of senses. At that very moment, there was a small life inside of her, something that she and Roy had conceived; something that would change their lives forever. She swallowed thickly as her mind continued to process it.

The realization and doubt suddenly hit her full force. She was going to be a mother…

But how could she, a seasoned killer and perfectly combed soldier _possibly_ take care of such a fragile and significant life? Realizing that her hands were shaking, she raised them up to look at them.

She couldn't do this. She didn't have what it took…

Quickly throwing her shirt back over her head and slipping her pants on, barely able to button them together, she unlatched the door and made a brisk escape. But just as she was about to slip out the front door, a sudden and firm grip on her arm pulled her back. "Hey Ri, where do you think you're-" The instant Riza turned around, however, Rebecca's playful tone slipped away. "Riza… What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied as she twisted her arm from her friend's grasp. Quickly turning and pushing the door open, she tossed over her shoulder, "I just need some fresh air." Ignoring Rebecca's cry of protest, Riza turned the corner and down into an alleyway. Leaning heavily against the wall, she took a deep breath of air and bowed her head before her friend managed to catch up to her.

Putting her hands on both of Riza's shoulders, Rebecca quietly demanded, "I know something's wrong, Ri; so spill it." When Riza opted not to answer and kept her head down, the black-haired woman changed her tone, making it more firm. "Riza Hawkeye," she commanded, "You tell me what this is all about."

After a few moments, Riza finally muttered, "I don't think I can do it…"

"What," Rebecca asked in disbelief.

"You heard me," she replied as she looked up at her friend with tired eyes. "I don't think I can do it."

The color draining from her face, Rebecca quietly asked, "Ri, you're not thinking of-"

"Of course not," Riza answered, her voice a little louder than she intended. Feeling herself weaken, she again said, "I would never needlessly take another life. No…"

She heard Rebecca sigh with relief as the dark-haired woman pulled her into a surprise hug. "Good," she muttered as she guided Riza's head to her shoulder. "For a moment I thought you meant that…"

Riza rolled her head side to side on her friend's shoulder before drawing away, her actions asking Rebecca to let her go. When she obeyed, Riza took a step back and folded her arms across her chest.

"Now," Rebecca continued, "Tell me what this is about."

Shrugging her shoulders up and down, Riza admitted, "I don't know. I was just struck with this realization and… And I just don't know if I'd be a good enough mother."

Furrowing her brows, Rebecca asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Casting her glance downward, Riza muttered, "You know what I said, Rebecca."

"What do you mean by that," Rebecca pressed as she tried to catch Riza's eye, not giving in to her friend's feeble attempt at brushing her off.

With a defeated huff, Riza took another step back, positioning herself against the wall of the building. Looking Rebecca in the eye, her own eyes brimming, she exclaimed, "What right do I have to bring a life into this world after taking so many from it?!"

"Oh, Ri," Rebecca replied as she placed her hands on Riza's shoulders again. "Is that what you're worried about?"

Looking down and away from her friend, Riza nodded her head in dejection.

Letting loose a small sigh, Rebecca took her friend into her arms once more, guiding her head to her shoulder with one hand. "Ri, I'm not going to tell you whether it's right or not, because that isn't something I have a right to talk about. What I can say, though, is that you can make sure that child grows up to be happy and without worry. _Be_ the mother I know you can be, Ri, and raise it in a world where it never has to worry about the chance of being asked to take a life. The very least you can do is give it the world you and Roy are striving to create.

"Be that break in the chain, Riza, by being the best damn mother you can be."

Shaking her head slightly, Riza's muffled response was, "How do you know I'll even be able to handle _that_?"

With a light chuckle, Rebecca answered, "I'll be honest, Ri. I don't know if you'll be able to handle it, at the beginning anyways. But I know you and I know Roy, and I'm confident that the two of you will be just fine. And besides, you have your team, the Elrics, me…

"I can guarantee that you two will be alright." When Riza sighed tiredly in response, Rebecca stepped out of their embrace to look into her friend's red-rimmed eyes, seeing that any wetness that had been there was gone. After determining that there likely wouldn't be anymore, she raised her brows and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Reaching up with the sleeve of her coat and wiping her eyes, Riza murmured, "Slightly."

"Slightly is better than nothing," Rebecca replied. "Do you want to go home? Maybe talk some more and try again another day?"

After taking another breath and exhaling to relieve herself of any other emotions that might unexpectedly rise up, Riza shook her head. "No… I have to do this today." Nodding down toward her belt line, she muttered, "If I wait a day longer the buttons on these jeans are going to pop off."

"Alright we'll try this again, but this time I want you to tell me if you have any more doubts." When Riza looked up at her and in the eye, Rebecca tilted her head and gave her a light smile, "So that we can work through this… together."

* * *

 **A/N:** _This chapter was incredibly hard for me to write for whatever reason (and was angsty too ;_;), but I hope I conveyed her doubt enough while also not dismissing Ishval (hence the reason why Rebecca did not tell Riza 'oh, it's okay because blah blah blah' since Ishval can't really be dismissed…) But if anyone has any issues, thought it was rushed, etc. please let me know!_

 _The next one will be fluffier (either with Edward and Roy interacting, or another fluffy Roy/Riza one!). I'm slowly working through everyone's requests ^_^_

 _Again, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They truly mean so much to me and I honestly appreciate it :)_


	11. Real

**A/N:** _I know that this may seem incredibly early, but according to some sources things like this can happen around this point, depending on the person. I figured that with how thin Riza is, it would happen sooner rather than later. (Plus it isn't that strong anyways…)._

 _Timeframe:_ 20 weeks

* * *

Stretching his arms above his head, Roy let out a small groan as his aching and tense muscles loosened. It was finally Friday, a welcomed and celebrated day after a two weeks of near literal hell.

Riza couldn't have come back at a better time. A recent surge in activity from a local, powerful crime boss known for selling illegal weapons as "Richard Beller" had left his department and Investigations scrambling for weeks. The day after his wife returned to work, Beller was finally apprehended. This arrest, however, left Roy and his men with even more paperwork to complete, as the military called for a quick trial.

Even with Riza's help they still barely managed to finish it all by the deadline. But now, he thought as he signed the last document and placed it on the stack that was placed next to him, he was free to enjoy the weekend and finally, _finally_ , relax.

With a satisfied nod, he put his hand on the back of his chair and was about to push away from the desk when his phone rang. Immediately tensing, he froze and eyed it warily, daring it to ring again. When it did he begrudgingly picked up the receiver and held it against his ear. "General Mustang speaking," he grumbled into the line as he glanced up at the clock, seeing that it was five 'o clock on the nose.

"Hello General," the operator chirped cheerfully into the line, "I have a Mr. Edward Elric on the other line for you."

"Fullmetal," he asked as he scrunched his face concernedly.

"Yes, sir," she clarified. "He said it was urgent."

Normally Roy would have asked her to have Edward call his home phone a little later, after he and Riza had returned home. But if he said it was urgent, then it must have truly been.

"Alright," he said as he settled back into his seat and scooched the chair forward, "Patch him through." As he sat and listened to the line begin to ring again, Roy tapped his fingers against the table impatiently. Knowing Edward, it was probably something big. Something that probably didn't involved just him, but his family. The thought of something urgent and the young man's family being interconnected caused Roy's stomach churn, his mind immediately turning to someone being ill or possibly—

" _Hello_?"

"Fullmetal," Roy addressed the voice a little too anxiously, a little too quickly.

" _Oh, hey_ ," Edward replied offhandedly. " _I was calling because I heard you knocked up your Captain- I mean wife_."

Roy had been fully prepared to address almost anything, and this was certainly not one of them. Clamping his mouth shut, his face screwed into one that probably projected confusion and dismay.

This… This is why he was calling?

" _So it's true then_?"

Coming back to his senses, Roy asked, "Who told you?"

" _What the hell, Mustang_ ," Edward griped over the line. " _I had to find out through_ Gracia _that Hawkeye's pregnant_?"

Pitching forward in his chair, Roy braced the elbow of his free arm against his desk and said, "We were planning on telling you when you and Winry visited next weekend. We felt it was impersonal calling and telling you two over the phone, especially since you've been trouncing all over the eastern part of the country this past month."

" _Hmph_ ," the young man grumbled, unsatisfied with Roy's explanation, " _You were the first one I called when Winry was pregnant both times_."

"I know that," Roy answered truthfully, "But we wanted to do it when you two were together. It just wouldn't be the same if you got home to Winry to have her tell you the news."

He heard Edward growl on the other end of the line, knowing that the statement had hit its intended mark. It was true. He and Riza had waited until they were able to get the men, and Rebecca, together to at last tell them the news, although they admitted they had their suspicions for a few weeks prior.

It just wouldn't have been the same…

" _Fine_ ," Edward muttered at last, " _I'll let it slide, but only because your argument, as stupid as it is, is valid enough_."

Letting out a small sigh, Roy replied, "Well, I'm glad you accept it, Fullmetal, because it's true."

" _Yeah, yeah_ ," Edward mumbled, " _Just be ready to answer a hell of a lot of questions once Winry gets there_."

Leaning back in his chair and feeling a sense of peace wash over him, Roy answered, "I'm sure there will be. And we promise to answer each and every question for you two." He had expected a little more resistant from the young man, not being in the know. Roy knew that he had matured considerably since he was a teen, but he still sometimes still expected the young man to react in a more volatile way every time.

" _Alright_." Then after pausing briefly, he slowly said, " _If you don't mind me asking first, how far along is she?"_

"About twenty weeks-," Roy replied casually.

" _WHAT?!"_

* * *

Had Roy realized Edward would have reacted that way, he would have made it his personal mission to track the young man down to hand-deliver the news to him himself. He hadn't realized that Edward would be so… excited about it. Maybe it wasn't excitement, however. More of a genuine and true interest?

Either way, he was surprised that the young man had been so eager to hear about them and their recent news… after he finished berating Roy for waiting until Riza was nearly halfway through the pregnancy to tell them.

But after that, the young man had completely turned around and had begun describing things that would be happening soon, what to expect.

Kicking, he said, was something he would always be in awe of; something he could never quite wrap his head around. He said that he understood the biology, morphology, or whatever; but it was just something that made him feel so much more connected to the child. Edward described knowing that it was there and that it was growing and developing: Winry's physique told him that. But it was the movement, the tiny feet tapping against the palm of his hand that truly made him understand and realize that he would be a father.

Just listening to the enthusiastic tone in Edward's voice had Roy feeling excited about the notion. He, like Edward, understood that he would be a father soon, but even then there was a slight disconnect. Riza was the one carrying the child: feeding it, caring for it, giving it life. For that he could not be more grateful.

And yet… He now felt this selfish desire to become a part of that too. He had helped in every way that he could up until this moment, but even then it never truly felt real. It was something he felt would happen only when the child was born….

"Sorry about that," Roy muttered as he closed the door of his office behind him. "Fullmetal decided to call and—" He stopped, however, when he saw that she hadn't acknowledged him. Instead, her chair was pushed away from her desk, her hands on her stomach, too lost in thought to even realize he was there.

"Hey." As a sense of alarm rose within him, he hurried over to Riza and fell to his knees beside her chair, gripping the arm tightly in his hands. "Are you al—"

With a loud gasp, she whipped her head around to face him, her eyes wide with alarm. A beat later, however, she sighed and relaxed. "I'm sorry," Riza murmured as she shook her head, "I didn't even hear you."

Knitting his brows together with concern, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she said with a smile before she quickly looked down at her stomach and placed a hand on it again. Then, taking hold of his other hand, she moved hers and placed his in its place. After a few moments, she whispered, "Do you feel that?"

Realizing what she was getting at, he pressed his hand more firmly down on her belly and waited. But after a few moments, he still couldn't feel anything. Frowning, he looked up at her, only to see that she was smiling warmly back.

"I wasn't sure if you would feel it or not," she admitted. "Because it's still relatively dull, as it has been for the past week or so… Nothing like what Gracia or Winry had described before. But still," she murmured as she looked down at her stomach and at his hand, "I can feel them rolling and kicking around. Tiny, tiny kicks, but movement nonetheless."

Breathing out, Roy looked back down at her stomach and tried to concentrate on his hand, hoping that that would somehow amplify his ability to feel. But despite his efforts, he still couldn't feel anything. When he looked up at her dejectedly, she chuckled softly and shook her head. "I'm sure you'll feel it in a few weeks, once the baby's bigger."

"I know," he said as he shot her a disappointed smile, "I was just hoping I could feel it with you."

"I'm sure you will soon… and then you won't hear the end of it," she replied as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. After letting his hand linger for a few more moments, she added, "We should get going. It's been a crazy week and I know the last thing you want to do is stay here longer than necessary."

"Right," he murmured as he began to pull his hand away. But just as his hand was about to leave her stomach, a faint, seemingly insignificant tap against his palm. Almost immediately he pressed his hand against her stomach again and waited. A moment later, another delicate jab. His eyes widening, he looked at Riza to see her beaming back.

And suddenly he felt that feeling Edward had described to him.

He was going to be a father.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Whoo! Sorry for the long wait! I started up with school again and then got sucked into writing for one of my other fics. But at long last I got this out!_

 _Next time expect Team Mustang and EdWin, along with the guys trying to determine who the godparents would be ;)_

 _Thank you for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews so far! You guys are incredible!_


	12. Godfather?

**Timeframe** : 21 weeks

* * *

"Bet you can't fit this entire bowl of peanuts in your mouth," Jean Havoc challenged as he held it up to Breda, seemingly no longer able to curb the boredom accompanying their wait for the General to finish his last meeting of the day.

Wrinkling his nose, the heavyset man pushed the bowl away and said, "Challenge _not_ accepted. You know I hate peanuts."

Shrugging his shoulders up and down, Havoc said, "Suit yourself," as he set the bowl down on a coffee table. When he heard another member of their small circle blanch, he turned toward him and grinned. "Not a big fan of peanuts yourself, Chief?"

"I am," the younger golden-haired man admitted warily, "I just remembered a time when you guys made me chug an entire half-gallon of milk on a dare." As the men nodded fondly at the memory, he growled, "And you just let Breda get away with it because he 'doesn't like peanuts?'"

"Eh, can't be helped," Havoc said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. "If he doesn't like 'em, he doesn't like 'em."

Thrusting his thumb at himself, Edward said, "I hated milk as a kid and you still made me do it."

"Consider it as right of passing at the time," Breda offered with a smirk. "And besides, milk is good for you."

Edward rolled his eyes at the comment and scoffed, though he chose to not further delve into his memories of that day, since it eventually led to a long night of stomach cramps and-

"Well, if we're speaking about bets," Havoc began as he raised his brows and smirked, "Let's make bets on who the godfather is before they tell everyone tonight."

"Seriously… You're talking about this _again_ ," Edward replied as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms proudly across his chest, happy for the change in subject, "You act like it's a competition when there's someone who obviously has it in the bag."

"Oh? And who would that be," Breda asked as he cocked a brow toward the younger man.

"The one with kids, of course," the golden-haired man replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "Because who better to call when things get rough?"

Thrusting his thumb toward the grey-haired man that sat quietly next to him, Breda said, "Falman? Hmm." Turning toward him, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds before nodding his head and pursing his lips. "Yeah, I can see it." After hearing a light huff, he turned back around to see that Edward's eyebrow was twitching agitatedly. "Oh… unless you meant you."

Just as Falman raised a hand to say something in response, he was cut off by another member of their group.

"Nah," Havoc interrupted as he pitched forward and rested his elbows on his knees, grinning at the men seated around him, "Why would they choose someone who's still just a kid in their eyes? 'Cause if it were me, I'd go for a matching set."

"What're you going on about," Breda inquired as he focused his attention on the sandy-haired man. "What matching set?"

Moving his shoulders up and down, Havoc replied, "Think about it. Rebecca is the godmother; that was clearly a given. And what better way to round it all out than to have the godmother's significant other, who also happens to be the boss's right hand man, as the godfather. A complete set."

"Oh please," Breda answered as he rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you have to stop acting like a child before you can even be put into the running for a position like this."

"And what's that supposed to mean," Havoc asked as he straightened himself up and eyed Breda questioningly.

Shrugging, Breda crossed his arms and smirked. "Who's gonna want a man to commit to a child when he can't even commit to a woman?"

"Hey now," Havoc said as he leaned forward again and jabbed his pointer finger toward Breda, "Just because Becks and I are taking the whole 'engagement' thing slow doesn't mean that—"

"Slow?" Breda quipped, "She's been dropping hints for the past _year_ , Havoc. I'm surprised she hadn't been giving you the cold shoulder in the bedroom earlier than she has been. Time to man up and commit already."

"I think I have a chance," Fuery quietly added as Havoc and Breda began to argue back and forth about the latter man's reluctance and 'noticeable' five percent decrease in bedroom activities.

They had gotten so heated and so into stating their opinions on the matter that none of them noticed when the office door opened and closed. It wasn't until General Mustang was standing directly behind them that they stopped their squabbling.

Jumping slightly as his presence, Breda and Havoc craned their heads around to look at their superior officer, who was eyeing them curiously with one brow cocked toward them.

"Hey Boss," Havoc said as he threw him a hasty salute, "All ready for tonight?"

"I am," Mustang replied slowly as he looked from one man to the other. "I was just coming to see if you had all headed home yet or not."

"We were just about to leave," Fuery squeaked excitedly, "You want us there by six, right?"

"Right," Mustang confirmed as he moved away from the couches that were situated in front of his desk, setting the packet of papers in his arms on top of the workspace. "We made the reservation for 5:30 to give us all a larger window of time."

"Knowing Winry we'll be there at 5:30 sharp," Edward mentioned as he stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going to head out then. I'll see you all in a while." After they all threw him a quick wave or a small 'goodbye,' Edward cast one last glance toward Mustang, certain that he saw a particular glint in the older man's eye. A sort of… Revealing look that he had thrown Edward before he departed.

Oh yeah… He had this in the bag.

* * *

After nearly everyone had arrived and taken their seats, Roy silently watched as the men not-so-stealthily took roll call in their heads, making note of every person. In addition, he watched as their eyes lingered over to the one seat next to Roy that wasn't occupied, trying his best to hide his smile. They would know soon enough.

When he glanced over at Riza, he saw that she was chatting with Rebecca, whose arm was wrapped tightly around the bicep a pre-occupied Jean Havoc. Noticing him out of the corner of her eye, she raised her head to toss him a small smile before turning back to her friend.

Shaking his head slightly, Roy checked the watch on his wrist and saw that it was five minutes to six. They should be there at any moment…

"So is this everyone that's coming?"

Glancing down the table toward the voice, Roy saw a pair of golden eyes watching him, glinting with eagerness. "Still waiting on one more," he confirmed as he held up his wrist and pointed to his watch.

Edward nodded in understanding, though he wasn't able to conceal the look of confusion that crossed his face for a split second. Like the rest of the men, he too believed that everyone was present.

Just as the golden-haired man began to turn back to his wife, Roy heard the familiar sound of the bell that hung above the door jingle, signaling that the door had been opened. Looking to see who it was, Roy instantly recognized the newcomer and smiled. Raising his hand to catch her attention, Roy waved it a few times.

Seeing his signal, Gracia Hughes smiled warmly and made her way over to him. Noticing the woman as well, Riza ended her conversation with Rebecca and met her the moment Gracia found Roy.

"I'm so happy you could make it, Gracia," Riza said as the other woman reached out to embrace her.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Gracia replied as Roy pulled out the empty chair and invited her to sit.

"We're glad," he said as he helped her push in her chair.

By that time the chatter at the table had dimmed as all eyes wandered over to their newest guest. At this, Roy couldn't help but smile.

Gracia wasn't necessarily a fixed part of their inner social circle, though that didn't mean she was excluded completely. Whether it was a Winter Solstice event, wedding, or other major holiday celebration, Gracia was always there. And, in addition, she was included in any celebration or event that her husband would have wanted to attend. She was just as much a part of their family that he was. Although recently, with the excess amount of work they had been piled under, it had been difficult finding time to see the widowed Mrs. Hughes, so at this moment seeing her was an extra treat.

"Hello Gracia," Winry said from the woman's right as she beamed at her. "How have you been?"

"I've been just fine," Gracia replied as she unfolded her napkin and smoothed it out over her lap. "It's so nice seeing you again."

Before the conversation completely took off, though, Roy cleared his throat, prompting everyone to turn toward him and Riza. As his wife leaned into him, he draped his arm loosely around her waist, pulling her closer to him. With all eyes on them now, he said, "Now that everyone's here, I just wanted to start by extending our gratitude to each and every one of you for being here with us today, a day for celebration...-"

"Always a reason to celebrate the fact that Roy isn't shooting off blanks after all," Havoc quipped with a smirk as he raised his beer, earning a well-deserved jab in the ribs by Rebecca.

Shrugging his shoulders up and down, Roy raised his beer glass in response and countered with, "At least that means I'm getting something, right Havoc?" A snort coming from Rebecca's direction was quickly followed by a reprimanding pinch to Roy's hand. Chuckling, he shook his head and continued on. "Every single person here has been nothing but supportive following our special announcement, from helping to plan every little detail," his eyes swept over Rebecca, whose lips turned upward into a smile, "to giving us some of the greatest words of advice they could offer," he added as he nodded toward Edward and Winry. Grinning back, the younger man hung his arm over his wife's shoulders as she leaned toward him.

"I want to say that you've all grown to be like the families we never had, becoming the family that we, and the little one, need. That being said, I know that you have all been very eager to figure out who the supposed godfather is, seeing that the godmother was revealed a little earlier we had intended her to be." Another squeeze of his hand reminded him to remain on track.

"That being said I wanted to let you know that, as family, you are all already considered to be honorary uncles, aunts, or what say you. But this time… This time we went with another approach to having a 'godfather.'" Gesturing to the woman seated next to him, Roy said, "Gracia will be taking on the role as 'godfather,' or the second godparent in part because of her importance in our lives, and also because of the role that Maes played as well.

"It may seem a bit unorthodox," he admitted with a sheepish shrug as he held Riza tighter to him still, "But at the same time, it feels right.

"Gracia," he added as he motioned to her, "Are you still willing to take on the responsibility?"

"Of course," she said gratefully as she wiped her hand beneath her eye and chuckled happily. "I'll do everything in my power to live up to what you would have expected from my husband."

Casting her an affable smile, Roy replied, "I'm sure you'll go above and beyond what Maes would, Gracia; much like how he would if he were here," before allowing his eyes to momentarily flicker over to the rest of the table's occupants. In that short amount of time, he watched their expressions change from surprise to genuine happiness upon fully realizing their intentions.

Before he had a chance to address Gracia or any of them further, Winry already had her hand on the older woman's shoulder, talking to her excitedly about how her late husband and how ecstatic he would be. He could see Rebecca making her way around to both of them, most likely preparing to discuss everything she had already laid out in her mind for the coming weeks.

Hearing Maes's name again, Roy looked toward his men to see that they had raised their glasses up and had tapped them together in the late man's honor. "I gotta admit," Havoc said after taking a sip from his stein, "I didn't see that coming… But now that it's out in the open, I don't think I'd see it any other way. Good ole Maes Hughes; sneaking in perfect Hughes form."

With a laugh, Breda gestured to the rest of the men at the table and exclaimed, "Told ya it wouldn't be any you, so consider the bet won."

"Hardly," Havoc retorted with a grin, "That's because you were convinced you'd win."

Shrugging his shoulders up and down and holding up his hands, Breda said, "But none of you got it either, so technically I was right..."

"Yeah right," Edward teased as he rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "If I remember correctly, and I know that I do, the conditions were that…-"

Shaking his head at their antics and tuning them out, Roy looked down to see Riza looking up at him, a smile painted across her face. He knew that she had the same thought in her mind: Their mix and match family, though a little odd, was still nothing short of perfect.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Whoo another chapter! Now things have started to slow a bit in terms of counting up, but there are tons of things I want to include. Next time expect a little Black Hayate love (thank you for the idea Alja, you know how it's going to to :D), followed by a chapter that highlight's Team Mustang's skill (or, rather, lack of skill) in setting up a crib/nursery), followed after by a chapter where another important announcement is made..._

 _Thank you for all of the favorites, reviews, and follows! You guys are amazing! And as always, if there is any OOCness/mistakes/etc. please do not hesitate to let me know~!_


	13. Big Brother'

**A/N:** _There are many reasons for a dog's behavior to change during a pregnancy. And while protectiveness may be deemed as "cute," please be aware that these changes should not be encouraged to the point of aggression. Keep an eye on your dog and if the protectiveness seems to turn to aggression or resent, consult a veterinarian or animal behavior specialist._

 **Timeframe** : 22 weeks

* * *

"Riza, I'm home!" Closing their front door behind him, Roy shrugged his jacket off of his shoulders and pulled it off of himself, listening for sounds of Riza or Black Hayate. When there wasn't any, he frowned slightly. Riza said that she hadn't been feeling well earlier before he had left, so he hadn't expected her to leave home at all. Maybe, he thought to himself as he slipped his shoes off and began to make his way toward their kitchen area, they had both gone for a walk.

As he stepped toward the kitchen, he saw Hayate's leash hanging on the hook designated for it, telling Roy that they hadn't left the house at all. Confused, he began to call Riza's name again as he rounded the corner to walk into the kitchen when he stopped.

Leaning against the frame of the door that led outside was Riza. Upon hearing his voice, she turned her head toward him and raised a hand to quietly call him toward her.

Obeying her silent command, Roy wandered over to her and gently pecked her cheek with a kiss. "Sorry I'm late. I was out with Havoc a little longer than I thought."

"It's alright," she said with a small smile, "I'm sure you two were having fun doing whatever it was you were doing." Seemingly noticing his lip twitch, she added, "Now what was it again?"

"Oh, just a secret," he replied cryptically.

She quirked a brow at the comment, but then shook it off as she said, "Do you mind helping me get the dog? I'm still not feeling my best… and he definitely hasn't been helping."

Roy frowned slightly. She only called Black Hayate 'the dog' when he was truly being naughty. In fact, Roy could barely remember the last time she referred to him as such. Walking over to her, he leaned on the opposite side of the door frame and peered out into their small back lawn at the Shiba Inu as he sniffed around on the grass.

Riza whistled again, prompting Hayate to lift his head to look at her. He took a step toward her and then suddenly lowered his head and eyed her wearily, letting out a low groan before returning to the section of grass he had christened moments before.

Roy furrowed his brows as Riza called the dog's name, watching confusedly as Hayate completely ignored his mistress's commands. After she called his name a few more times without success, he heard her sigh and saw her turn toward him in his peripheral vision. When he looked back at her, he saw her purse her lips in worry.

"I just don't get it," she murmured as she folded her arms over her chest, "Hayate has never disobeyed me like this. It's as if he's completely forgotten all of his training."

"Well, this has been going on in some degree these past few weeks," Roy offered. "Is it possible that maybe he's sick or something? They say that dogs tend to hide their pain and act differently whenever they're feeling lousy."

"I suppose that's possible," she replied as her gaze wandered over to the black and white dog once more. "But I've had Hayate for nearly six years. You think I would be able to read him by now..."

Roy shrugged. "Dogs can be mysterious when it comes to things like that. They always seem to find ways to surprise you."

Riza sighed. "I guess you're right. But anyways, we should really get him inside. It looks like rain."

Roy's eyes wandered upward to confirm that the clouded sky had begun to appear much darker than it was before. Pushing himself off of the door frame, he began his trek toward Black Hayate and let out a low whistle.

Hayate's ears immediately pricked and he raised his head, cocking it slightly as he watched Roy approach him.

Stopping in his tracks, Roy bent at the waist and extended his arms toward the dog and quietly beckoned him, expecting him to dart away at any given moment.

Instead, the Shiba Inu wagged his tail enthusiastically and trotted obediently over to Roy and sat down by his side, with no hassle or complaint.

His frown deepening, Roy glanced at Riza out of the corner of his eye to see that she was just as surprised as he was. Before he resigned himself to losing the dog's attention, however, he turned his focus back to Hayate and patted him on the head, to which Hayate replied with a small yip of excitement. Feeling his grimace melt away, Roy acknowledged the dog's behavior and began to head back toward the house and Riza with Hayate in tow.

Riza stepped out of the way and allowed them passage but, just like he had been on occasion the past few weeks, Hayate danced around the edge of an invisible perimeter he had set around her. Knowing that she likely wouldn't appeal to the dog once again, Riza shook her head and sighed, opting to instead step over to the sink in order to continue washing the dishes that she had left soaking.

When she turned on the faucet, Roy wandered over to her and grabbed a dish towel that had been abandoned on the counter and began to wipe down one of the dishes that had been left on the drying rack.

"I just don't know," Riza muttered as she plunged her hands into the water and produced a bowl that had been submerged in the sudsy water. "It's like he's been avoiding me."

"It is odd," Roy agreed as he watched her scrub the dish. "I noticed that he's still keeping a reasonable distance from you." When she had rinsed the bowl under the steady stream of water from the faucet, he took it from her and began to dry it. "And yet he seems fine with me."

"I haven't changed at all," she murmured as she rested her hands on the edge of the counter and looked over at the dog, who was sitting in the middle of the kitchen and watching them intently. "For the most part my clothes are the same and I haven't bought any new perfume that would dissuade him from coming near me. I just don't know what it could be…" With a defeated sigh, she stuck her hands into the warm water again, only to retract them immediately with a yelp.

"Are you alright," Roy gasped as Riza grasped her finger and raised it to her lips, a bleb of red appearing on the tip.

"I forgot I had a knife in there," she grumbled before she rested her lips on the wound and began to suck the excess blood off.

"Let me get a bandage," Roy offered as he tossed the dish towel onto the counter and hurriedly jogged out of the kitchen. When he had reached the bathroom, he flicked on the light and opened the medicine cupboard, rummaging through it to find the box of small bandages they had. Once he found it, he grabbed two of them and began to make his way back toward the kitchen, only to find that Riza had followed him halfway and had seated herself on the couch in the living room, her finger still held up to her lips.

When he seated himself next to her and held out his hand, she pulled hers away from her face and rested it on his. "Just be careful, I- Ow!" Yanking her hand out of his, Riza held it up and wrapped her fingers around it as it started to bleed again.

In an attempt to help her stanch the bleeding, Roy reached toward her but was halted when a mess of black and white fur placed itself between them. He drew his hand away as Black Hayate bared his teeth and began to growl menacingly, the fur on his neck bristling. Surprised by the dog's sudden turn, Roy instinctively moved back on the couch, giving himself a comfortable distance from the dog.

Then, as if he had flipped a switch inside his head, Hayate turned around and pressed his nose against Riza's stomach, nosing and sniffing it vigorously.

"Hayate?"

Looking up at his mistress, Hayate curled his lips back and let his tongue loll out of his mouth, his tail wagging enthusiastically at the sound of her voice.

Raising her hand, she placed it on his head and scratched him behind the ear. "Now it all makes sense," she muttered as she looked up at Roy, "He must have been sensing that something was different about me, but he just couldn't quite put a paw on it before. So he was avoiding me until he figured it out, or until something like this happened."

"I guess it does make sense," Roy agreed as he tore his eyes away from her and down at Hayate. "But I don't know how I feel about him flying into attack mode like that… Even if he thought I had hurt you."

"No, you're right," she replied as she too looked back down at Hayate, who had resumed sniffing her belly again. "It isn't something we want him doing often."

Deciding to test the waters again, Roy cautiously murmured Hayate's name, which prompted the dog to stop his investigation of Riza and turn toward him, his dark eyes studying Roy. He held his breath as he slowly raised his hand to the dog, half expecting him to nip or growl again. Instead, however, the Shiba Inu pressed his nose against Roy's hand and gave it an affectionate lick. Instantly relaxing, Roy moved his hand to scratch Hayate's ears.

As he rubbed Hayate behind the ears, he looked up to see Riza beaming at the two of them, relief reflecting in her eyes. "Still," she said as she looked down at Black Hayate, who appeared to have trouble deciding who should be petting his head and who should be focusing on his back, "Let's keep an eye on him… Just in case."

* * *

After putting away the last of the dishes he had volunteered to wash after dinner, Roy stretched his arms above his head and yawned, exhausted from the day's events. Knowing that the next couple of weeks would likely be a roller coaster of emotion, he opted to turn in early like Riza had. Flicking off the kitchen's lights, Roy padded down the hallway and toward their bedroom, seeing that the door had been cracked open and the light inside off.

Creeping over to it, he pushed it open and peered inside. Before he ventured in further, however, he saw a pair of reflective eyes peering at him, accompanied by a low growl of warning.

"Hayate," Roy whispered as he stepped into the room, "It's just me."

Instantly the dog relaxed and rested his head back on Riza's stomach, his tail beating against the bed as he watched Roy eagerly.

Smiling to himself, Roy pushed the door closed behind him and slowly wandered over to them, kneeling down beside the bed. Placing a hand on Hayate's head, he murmured, "You keeping an eye on your mom?"

The dog licked his lips and panted happily, dark eyes seemingly shining in understanding.

"Well, I'll be counting on you to do it when I'm not around, alright," he said with a chuckle. "Because someone needs to make sure your mom isn't overexerting herself when it comes time to stay home.

"And when it comes time… I'll be counting on you to watch baby too, like a big brother."

Hayate blinked tiredly in reply and exhaled loudly, prompting Riza to shift in her sleep and draw the dog closer.

Shaking his head, Roy gave one Hayate one last pat before slowly rising to his feet. After he turned away and took a few steps toward their closet, he heard a low sigh behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Hayate had closed his eyes again, the corners of his lips turned upward as he settled his head back on Riza's stomach.

Smiling to himself, Roy turned away to get back to the task of getting ready for bed, relieved that their little family had once again found its balance…. And its new structure.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Sorry about the wait! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and Protective!Hayate! I probably won't go much further with that idea since it's evident now that he understands what is going on. Instead, I may have bits and pieces of him being more affectionate or watchful of Riza, but nothing like the moment of aggression in this chapter since he's such a balanced dog!_

 _Next time expect an announcement of sorts from someone! Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It truly means a lot. I'm so glad you are enjoying._


	14. A Second Engagement

Riza should have been tipped off the moment the phone rang and her husband, who was closer to it than she, made no move to answer it. Trying to keep her pointed glare to a minimum, Riza picked up the receiver and was instantly flooded by a myriad of incoherent words and happy laughs that she could only attribute to one person: Rebecca Catalina.

"Rebecca," she called over the line in the hopes of getting her friend's attention. "Rebecca…"

Her friend either did not hear her words or did not care for Riza's command, for she continued babbling excitedly into the phone.

"Rebecca," she snapped in her authoritative tone, this time getting her friend to stop for an iota of a second. Hearing a chuckle, she turned toward Roy and saw that he was trying to cover up a smirk. Unable to question him before Rebecca started chattering again, Riza decided to turn her focus back to the latter in order to get to the bottom of it, though she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what it was.

"What is this about?"

"J-Jean," Rebecca replied giddily into the phone.

Feeling a smile touch her lips, Riza raised her brows and shot Roy another look, seeing that he had turned his attention completely toward their call.

"And I assume it's a good thing?"

"Yes," her friend replied enthusiastically.

"Would you rather show and tell?" When Rebecca answered with excitement equal to her previous answer, Riza said, "Alright. Let's meet at the café around the block from my place in fifteen minutes."

After Rebecca eagerly agreed and hung up the line, Riza shook her head and rested the receiver back on its cradle. Turning back to Roy, she folded her arms and gave him a knowing smile. "So is that where you went with Lieutenant Havoc last weekend?"

Roy chuckled and got up from his armchair and walked over to her, pulling her closer to him until her growing belly touched his. "You got me," he admitted. "Havoc wanted it to be a secret so my lips were zipped."

"You certainly got me… and Rebecca," Riza said as she shook her head. "Even though we both expected it at _some_ point."

"Yeah," Roy said, "Those 'hints' Rebecca kept dropping really got Havoc thinking. After talking it out with me, we went to the jeweler and he found the perfect ring."

Riza hummed in reply. "You do realize you won't be seeing much of me after this point, right?" When Roy raised his brows questioningly, she said, "According to Rebecca, she's had her entire wedding laid out since she was seven. Now that she's getting married she's going to want me to help her plan it all out."

Puzzled, Roy said, "But they just got engaged. They wouldn't start planning right away… Would they?"

"You clearly don't understand Rebecca Catalina," Riza said with a light laugh as she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "I have to get going, though. I can almost assume she's already going to be there by the time I arrive." Pulling away from him, she teased, "I'll see you when the baby arrives."

"I'll see you then," Roy replied with a laugh, albeit a nervous one.

Riza gave him a small smile and turned away from him to collect her jacket and purse, feeling his eyes on the back of her head, likely wondering how serious she had actually been.

* * *

Just like Riza had suspected, Rebecca had beaten her to the coffeehouse and was already sitting down with a cup of tea. When she saw her friend approaching her, Rebecca jumped up from the table and almost knocked the piping hot drink all over herself. Quickening her pace, Riza met her friend just as she sprang away from the table.

"Are you alright," she asked as Rebecca grabbed a handful of napkins and began to soak up the tea.

"Yeah, I am," Rebecca replied as she looked up at Riza, her concentrated clean-up ruined the moment she acknowledged her friend.

Riza saw Rebecca quivering, unable to contain her excitement. Raising her brows, she began, "So what is it you wanted to show—"

She was cut off when Rebecca squeaked and shoved her hand in her face, revealing a ring with a beautiful silver band and a sizeable diamond jewel set in it. Looking past it and at her beaming friend, Riza said, "So that's what you were trying to tell me over the phone." When Rebecca nodded frantically, still at a loss for words, Riza chuckled and pulled her friend into a hug. "Congratulations, Rebecca. I couldn't be happier for you and Jean. Now," she said as she pulled away, keeping her hands on her friend's shoulders, "Do you want to try and start from the beginning?"

* * *

"It was completely smooth sailing," Jean Havoc said as he leaned back in his chair and proudly folded his arms across his chest. "Everything went according to plan."

"Really," Roy asked after taking a swig of beer. "And she didn't suspect a thing?"

"Nope," Jean declared. "She was completely, totally surprised."

* * *

"I knew it the minute he led me into that restaurant," Rebecca disclosed as she leaned forward and braced her elbows against the table, resting her chin on her hands. "I mean, it was obvious. My favorite restaurant, a table set up under the atrium outside, the space around the table conveniently cleared of any other patrons… It was the perfect set up."

"Did he seem nervous at all," Riza asked as she raised her hot chocolate to her lips.

"Oh, of course he was," Rebecca replied. "He was scared shitless."

Riza shook her head and chuckled. "So since you knew, did you play it cool?"

"Of course I did," Rebecca replied matter-of-factly. "I acted completely normal…"

* * *

"I pulled her chair out for her before I sat down myself. And when I did we slipped into casual conversation without any indication from me of what was to come."

"Is that so," Roy asked as he quirked a brow. "And she said absolutely nothing about the fact that the restaurant, one of the busiest places in Central, was half-full?"

"You bet," Havoc replied with a grin. "I told you before that it's all about how you present yourself."

"If you say so," Roy agreed as he raised his glass to his lips.

* * *

"I'll admit that I mentioned the restaurant was looking a little empty a few times," Rebecca said with a mild shrug. "Though it didn't even seem like he registered what I was saying."

Riza lifted a brow. "How so?"

"Oh, you know," she began as she waved her hand, "Looking around nervously, half-listening and answering what I was saying. Typical things a man under pressure would do."

"I'm surprised you didn't call him out for it," Riza pointed out as she set her beverage down.

"I couldn't do that to him," Rebecca replied, "Not with how nervous he was about the whole thing."

"So was he like that the entire time," Riza asked curiously.

"For the most part," Rebecca admitted. "He finally calmed down right before dessert, though. Right before the ring came out."

Upon hearing her friend mention the piece of jewelry again, Riza nodded toward it and inquired, "So how did he do it?"

Rebecca grinned and held her hand out again for Riza to see. "The restaurant owner came out with a piece of my favorite dessert and it was sitting on top of it."

"Simple," Riza noted as she smiled, "I like it."

"Simple _and_ classy," Rebecca corrected her friend as she pulled her hand away and rested her chin on it again. "A bit off from the display you nearly had if I might say," she added as she gave Riza a knowing look.

Riza shook her head and chuckled. "It's funny how our husbands, or rather husband and soon-to- _be_ husband, had ideas that were completely out of their character norms."

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't know, Ri. Pretty sure your man can be flashy when he wants to be."

"I suppose you're right," she replied as she reached down and absently twisted her wedding ring, her thoughts momentarily returning to the day she saw it and had wondered what its price tag had been.

"Although," Rebecca continued as she leaned forward, "I'll bet the 'flashy' crown will be handed over to me once I, or rather we, start planning the wedding."

Riza smiled and shook her head. Then, reaching up, she pretended to take an invisible crown off of her head. With a giggle, Rebecca bowed forward as Riza imitated setting and adjusting it on Rebecca's hair. As she leaned back, Rebecca 'adjusted' it once more before weaving her fingers together and saying, "And speaking of planning, I have a question for you."

* * *

"It would be an honor," Roy said as he set his empty beer glass down on the counter.

Havoc beamed as he clapped Roy on the shoulder. "That's great! Welcome aboard."

Roy shook his head and chuckled. "Have you asked any of the other men yet?"

"Nope, you're the first one," Havoc noted as he set his mug down. "I figured I'd ask Falman and Fuery when I see them next week, and I'll ask Breda tomorrow when we play cards."

"Sounds like a plan."

Havoc nodded as he fished his wallet out of his pocket and began to poke around for loose cenz. "And speaking of plans, do you think the women have my entire big day planned out already?"

"It's possible," Roy replied.

"Well, as long as she tells me the date I'll be sure to show up."

When he produced a few cenz, Roy shook his head and pushed his hand away. "I've got it tonight. Consider this a congratulatory gift."

"Thanks, boss," Havoc replied as he beamed and pushed his wallet back into his pocket.

"No problem," Roy said as he handed the barman their bills. "Although I'm surprised you're packing up so soon. Figured you'd want to celebrate a little more."

"Nah," Havoc replied as he slipped his jacket on over his shoulders. "As much as I'd like to, I already made plans with Rebecca after we told you two." When Roy raised his brows, Havoc took it as a questioning glance and winked, "To, you know, seal the deal."

With a small sigh, Roy massaged the bridge of his nose and frowned. "Thank you for that mental image, Havoc."

"Sorry, boss," Havoc apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'm just kind of excited. It's weird considering myself an engaged man." When Roy gave him a small smile in reply, Havoc chuckled and shook his head. "I hope it doesn't wear off anytime soon because I admit that I'm really liking the idea of it…"

"Oh," Roy replied, "Trust me. If you love her like you say you do, then the feeling will never wear off."

* * *

"I'm home!"

Upon hearing the announcement of Riza's presence, Roy smiled and folded up the newspaper he had in his hands and rose to his feet to greet her. "Welcome home," he said as he strolled over to her and helped her remove her jacket. "How was Rebecca?"

"Great," Riza said as she removed her scarf to drape over the coatrack. "And Lieutenant Havoc?"

"Absolutely smitten," he noted as she turned toward him. "So," he began on a new train of thought, "What did she assign you to?"

"Matron of honor duties," Riza said with a small smile.

"I figured," he said as he grinned. When she quirked a brow in question, he announced, "Groomsman," as he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So when's the wedding? I assume you and Catalina planned the entire thing over coffee."

Riza chuckled and shook her head as she followed suit and wound her arms around him. "Not quite. She has a few ideas she bounced off of me, but she's nowhere near being finished planning it."

Roy playfully raised a brow and sarcastically said, "Really? I figured it would already be next month."

Riza shook her head again. "She said not until after the baby comes and we're more settled into our roles. She wants to make sure I'll be able to perform all of my duties."

"Makes sense," Roy replied with a mild shrug. When she agreed, he asked, "So how was the proposal for her? Was it everything she hoped it would be after riding him about it for over a year?"

Riza rolled her eyes and said, "According to her it was perfect."

"Havoc said the same thing. Although, I still think my proposal was better though," Roy said proudly as he pulled her closer to him.

"It was," she hummed in reply. "Although we could have done without the rain."

He frowned. "I checked, double-checked, and even _triple-checked_ the forecast for that evening and I swear that it said clear skies for the night."

She gave him a light laugh before draping her arms around his neck. "Still, your improvisation was very impressive."

"I guess," he replied as he stuck his lower lip out. "Though I would have much preferred my original plan."

Riza smiled and shook her head. "I'll admit that writing your proposal out in the sky with fire would have been very neat, but what matters now is where we are at this moment."

Roy chuckled and dipped his head forward, resting his forehead against hers as he freed one of his hands and eased it up to rest on her growing belly. "True," he murmured as he closed his eyes and sighed, "Because in the end, everything I've ever wanted is right here."

* * *

 _ **Bonus** : What actually happened…_

* * *

After pulling out Rebecca's chair and nearly running over her toes with it, Jean carefully eased her in to the table without another incident before hurrying around to sit down in his chair. Already feeling his cheeks begin to warm, he lifted up the menu and held it in front of his face, scanning over the various dishes and appetizers the restaurant served. When he heard her pick up her menu as well, he relaxed slightly.

When he spied an appetizer they could start off with, he lowered the menu and said, "Hey Becks, do you—"

"Yes."

His heart practically burst out of his chest as he froze, his eyes as wide as hers. When he opened his mouth to stammer out something, she quickly corrected herself and said, "I mean, yes, _dear_? What is it?"

"Oh, uh," he began as she averted her eyes from him, her cheeks turning a ruddy hue. "I was just wondering if you wanted to get some baked asparagus as an appetizer since they're your favorite and all."

"That would be great," she squeaked back as she glanced down at the menu again. "And maybe we could order our entrees while we're at it."

It was Jean's turn to squeak. "You want to order everything in one go?" When she hesitated, he backtracked and nodded, "We could do that! Especially if we already know what we want anyway. As long as we can get dessert."

"Oh?"

Backpedaling even further, Jean rubbed the back of his neck and coolly said, "I've really been craving their chocolate cake."

"Oh," she said again slowly and then pursed her lips. After a few beats, she nodded and said, "Yeah, me too, actually."

"Great," he replied as he smiled, feeling the knots in his stomach loosen ever so slightly.

"Ready to order?"

They both looked up to see that the waiter had returned with a notepad in hand. With a nod, Jean gestured to Rebecca and grinned. "Yes, we're ready to order."

* * *

The more Jean filled his stomach, the less nervous he felt about the entire situation. Perhaps it had been the wine or maybe the food. Though the one thing that was certain was that the longer he spoke to her, the more confident he became. If all went according to plan, they would leave there not just boyfriend and girlfriend, but fiancées to the other.

The thought caused a tremor of excitement to course through Jean. Because while the nervousness and trepidation was still there, they had mostly been masked by his excitement. So when he saw their waiter approaching them out of the corner of his eye after their plates had been taken, he straightened himself out and said, "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered a little something beforehand."

He watched as Rebecca's head whipped around to watch the waiter approach and he held his breath as the young man slowly placed the decedent plate down in front of her, the impeccable piece of dessert sporting the ring he and the General had spent so long searching for. So when her eyes slid down to it, he eased himself off of his seat and got down onto one knee, gesturing to the piece of cake in front of her.

Clearing his throat so that she would turn her attention toward him, he held his hand out toward her and began, "Rebecca Catalina, you have been a part of my life since I—"

With a loud squeal, she launched forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and cried, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Stunned by her sudden display, Jean held his arms out from his sides and uttered, "Uhh, wait, I haven't…," as he felt his ears grow warm.

Nuzzling her face into his neck, Rebecca squeezed him tighter and murmured, "Of course I'll marry you, you goof," into his ear.

Feeling a smile spread across his lips, he lowered his arms and wrapped them around her, drawing her closer to himself. Burying his face into the crook of her neck, he inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly before chuckling and uttering, "I love you… I love you so much."

* * *

 **A/N:** _I'm sorry this took so long ;_; I promise I won't go so long without an update next time. I just got stuck on the angst train and I couldn't get off for a while. But now I'm back on track and feeling fluffy :D Thank you for your patience as well. It means the world!_

 _Next time expect some Team Mustang shenanigans and Royai cuddles toward the end (inspired by the magnificent theysangastheyslew on Tumblr (aka MethodforMadness on deviantart)! Also, Roy writing his proposal out in the sky was purely her idea. Inspired by this picture on deviantart:_ _methodformadness .deviantart art /Mazel-Tov-532375484. Just remove the spaces owo_ _). Again, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It all means so much!_


	15. Get a Kick Out of That

**A/N** : _I am so sorry for the wait everyone! I have no excuse other than that I just wasn't in a very fluffy mode often enough to write this. I'm hoping now that I've written this, my fluffy side will reemerge so that I don't leave you all without an update for so long. Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope that you enjoy this next installment! And please feel free to let me know if there is any OOCness or anything incorrect up until this point! Thank you!_

 **Timeline** : 23 weeks

* * *

A sharp jab to Roy's side tore him from the deep plane of sleep he had attained and forced him up into a sitting position. He was charged and ready, his senses alive and primed for the imminent attack that was to come. Instead, however, when his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he found that there was no intruder or attacker. Nor anyone else in the room with them for that matter. A light jungle momentarily redirected his attention to the end of their bed, but after he recognized that the mass of black and white that was lying there was Hayate, he relaxed.

With that in mind he turned his attention to his wife and found that she was sleeping peacefully beside him. He watched her chest rise and fall for a few breaths and, when he was confident she was in as deep a sleep as he had been before, he directed his focus back to the visceral ache he felt in his ribs. Reaching up, he tenderly ran a hand over them, surprised by how contused they felt.

Something, or someone, had hit him.

He looked around again, thoughts once muddled becoming more clear by the second, and tried once more to discover what it was exactly that had roused him from his sleep. His thoughts immediately returned to Riza, whom hadn't moved since his abrupt awakening. She appeared as peaceful and deep in sleep as she had been before. Roy lifted a hand and hovered it over her shoulder, and then stopped. There was no use waking her if there wasn't anything to wake her over.

He closed his eyes and groaned softly, settling back onto his pillow with a small huff. Perhaps he had dreamt up the entire ordeal? Though… his sore ribs would beg to differ. Just as he reached over to rub them again, another firm force connected with his hand and drove it against his side. Roy yelped with surprise and jerked away, immediately turning his attention toward Riza for a third time and saw once again that she was sleeping. That time, however, he had felt it and knew that he had been awake enough to know that he hadn't dreamt it.

Roy cautiously lifted the covers and peered beneath them, allowing his eyes to adjust to the fraction of light that poured in through their window, identifying the pillow Riza used to support herself during the night, and nothing else. Puzzled, he lifted and pushed them again, this time sprawling the covers over the lower half of their bed.

Riza shifted beside him, clearly uncomfortable by the sudden change in temperature. But rather than wake she continued to sleep, only adjusting herself by pulling the pillow she had wrapped herself around closer to her body and curling her knees closer to her chest.

A smile formed on his lips and he watched her for a few moments, absorbed by just how peaceful she looked. Riza's side rose and fell with every deep, even breath she took. Gone were the small lines that had settled on her forehead from the week's brutal schedule. Though she had done her best to hide it, the exhaustion eventually won and made itself evident in her expression and actions. On top of the mountain of paperwork the quarter's end brought, he knew that the little one was restless, feeding off their mother's anxiety. The nights were just as long and grueling as the days, wrought with endless bouts kicking and rolling that plagued Riza's sleep. He reached up to brush a stray strand of hair from her cheek but stopped short of doing so when her face contorted and wrinkled with discomfort. Without further warning, her leg kicked out from beneath her and connected with his thigh.

The sudden, though unintended, attack elicited from him a surprised yelp that he was quick to muffle with his hands. Roy watched, distressed, as Riza shifted again and moaned, rolling from her side onto her back. Her hand moved up her side and lightly clutched her stomach again. Then, her face softened as the round of kicks subsided, once again falling into a deep sleep.

Roy reached down and rubbed his tender thigh as he watched, waiting for any other indications of discomfort on his wife's face. Perhaps he had thought it too soon; maybe the sleepless nights weren't over quite yet…

The jingle of Hayate's collar redirected his attention toward the end of the bed. The pup had clearly been disturbed too and did not appear happy about it. He huffed and stared at the sheets, glaring at Riza's foot as it rhythmically flexed and extended beneath the blanket. Just as he realized what was to come, and before he could beckon the dog toward him, her knee jerked and her foot kicked into the air. Hayate jumped away and caught his foot on the edge of the bed. With a surprised yelp, he slipped off the edge of their bed and tumbled onto the floor.

Roy scrambled to the edge of the bed and watched Hayate stand and shake himself. He offered him a sympathetic smile once Hayate had shaken off his disbelief. The pup snorted with disdain and turned tail, padding over to and settling down on the dog bed across the room and gave him a discontent huff. He moved his shoulders apologetically but Hayate was clearly not amused, opting to turn away from them and face the wall.

Roy shook his head, unable to provide any relief to the aggravated pup, and then focused on Riza again. Her face showed no signs of wakefulness nor discomfort, once again seeming to be in a deep state of sleep. However, despite how she might appear, Roy knew better than to assume that everything was alright by what he saw on the surface. Taking care to move as quietly as possible, as to not disturb what sleep she was getting, Roy carefully placed his hand on her stomach.

No matter how many times he had felt their child move, Roy decided that he'd never get over the absolute awe he would constantly be overcome by. This movement, this child, was two parts of them that created a whole. A child that would one day grow to be whatever he or she wanted to be in an ideal world that they hoped the two of them could create for it. There were moments where he and Riza would fear that they could not provide for the child an environment where they would flourish and grow. Where it would one day learn of the atrocities and despair its parents were involved with and would reject them. They were terrified by what the uncertain future held, but all it took for them to take a step back and look at the now was the promise they had made to do the best that they could. And feeling that little kick brought them back to that promise.

A smile touched his lips when the child rolled beneath his hand. The movement was subtler than what he had felt previous nights, which he attributed that to the fact that Riza was still sleeping, aside from the occasional disturbance. He pressed his hand more firmly and the child kicked back. Roy jumped again when Riza's leg reflexed and her foot kicked into the air.

Surprise turned to comprehension, which led to amusement. He waited another moment for confirmation and, when he felt another small kick, turned his head in time to see Riza's leg move again. Roy bit his tongue and stifled the laugh that had begun to bubble in his chest, all at once feeling his worry subside. It seemed that her reaction was a normal, albeit unusual, reaction to their child's kicks. He checked her expression again and found that she was still sleeping as peacefully as she had been before, perhaps a little more so.

Roy turned toward his nightstand and picked up the alarm clock he had set, finding that it was quarter-past six. Just fifteen minutes' shy of when they were supposed to get up. Deciding to forgo waking her in favor of granting her the few extra minutes of sleep she so desperately needed, he decided that it would be advantageous to begin brewing their morning coffee and tea. After all, they would need _something_ to discuss the whimsical development over.


End file.
